Dib-sister Love-pig
by Idakiller24
Summary: Zim's plans for world domination have taken an unexpected pause when he 'feels' things for the Gaz-human. A ZAGR story, may be OOC, first story. I do not own Invader Zim or its characters. All rights for the show belong to Jhonen Vasquez.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Zim slammed his door shut after a long day at skool. The Dib-monkey had not been as much of a problem today, but Zim was still angry, and confused.

"COMPUTER! Scan me for any Earthly diseases!" Zim screamed as he tore off his itchy contacts.

"Scanning."

A beam of blue light passed through Zim's body up and down.

"Diagnosis: Healthy." the computer stated.

"Impossible!" Zim yelled. "I feel STRANGE! Do it again!" Again, the beam of light scanned Zim, he mentally tried very hard to be as sick as he felt.

"Diagnosis: Healthy."

"YOU LIE! YOU MALFUNCTION!" Zim yelled again. "I feel STRANGE! The Dib-sister infected me with something! Perhaps I'm allergic to her… she makes my head feel… weird… She has invaded my thoughts and my very core!"

"OOOOOOOOO MASTER HAS A CRUSH!" GIR yelled, slamming to the floor in front of him from somewhere on the ceiling.

"A crush? My organs and bones are perfectly normal! There is no crushing!" Zim scoffed in disbelief.

"Master likes Gazzy!" GIR danced around Zim's legs. "Master likes Gazzy!"

"Likes? ZIM DESPISES ALL HUMANS! What is the meaning of your accusation?"

"You looooove her." GIR teased, ignoring his master's question.

"Loooove?" Zim tested the word. It sounded stupid.

"Computer! Search a definition for the word: loooove."

"Love: an intense feeling of deep affection."

"Oh _that_. Zim remembers _love_." Zim thought back to his short, painful and humiliating 'relationship' with Tak. Before she tried to take over Earth almost 6 years ago.

"There is no love here." Zim scoffed. True, the Gaz-human had filed his thoughts. But certainly that was normal. Certainly what he was feeling was not _affection_ for the worm-baby. He was an Irken invader! There was no room for such an annoying concept. Zim climbed up onto his toilet chute elevator while GIR continued to bounce around the room singing "Master likes Gazzy." Zim sank down into his labs.

"Love. Hmm… 'Love'. Looooove." Zim played with the word again and again. "Ha! AN INSULTING ACCUSATION!" Zim reached his base lab and began working on his plans for Earth's demise. Again, Gaz filled his thoughts. Her sleek purple hair, her black clothes, the menacing glare she has when Zim gets too close.

Gaz… she had grown since Zim had been stationed on Earth 8 years ago, then again so had Zim, although he was shorter than his Mighty Tallest, he was taller than Gaz. She looked more like an adult human female than the other larva crawling around his skool. Her purple hair had become considerably long, her dark attire matured into black dresses, zippered pants and tank tops that revealed more skin than Zim had seen her in before.

It was strange seeing her skin. The pink fleshy layer repulsed Zim when he saw it on everyone else. Some had too much and it fell over there bodies in masses, some had too little and Zim could see their skeletal structure, some had brown spots and growths, but Gaz's skin looked flawless, although the strange color was still odd. He thought about her eyes, when he could see them, they were a pleasant amber color that reminded him of an eclipsing sun shining behind the Earth moon. Zim stopped. And looked at his plans. They might have well been blank. Every word was useless. Zim yelled in frustration, tore the papers from his desk and threw his pencil at a wall.

"Computer! Relay more details of this 'love' disease!"

"Love: deep emotional connection to another being or thing. Used by humans to find a significant mate."

"How does one…" The words caught in Zim's throat. "Catch love?" he groaned. Zim didn't want to believe it. But there had to be a reason he felt so strange. He might as well explore the idea. A screen lowered down in front of Zim. It showed a human girl and boy.

Both were ugly worm beasts.

They looked nervous and squeamish when near each other.

"Love can be caught by having a feeling of affection toward another being."

The human girl raised her leg and clasped her hands close to her face when looking at the human boy, who waved at the girl.

"When attraction has been formed, humans partake in 'courtship'." The human boy pulled a bunch of flowers from behind him and gave them to the girl who looked happy. "Gifts and compliments can be classified as courtship. It is used to show feelings and confirm whether feelings are mutual."

Then the boy and girl came close in an embrace. Zim thought whether he liked the idea of being so close to Gaz. He wasn't disgusted.

"And if… 'feelings' are not mutual?" Zim asked, intrigued.

"Possible continuation of courtship, if all attempts are denied then humans try with a different human until a 'match' is made. The screen showed the boy with several different girls until one stopped. Zim didn't like that. _IF_ he did feel _love_ for the Gaz girl, he would have her, and only her. The boy and girl came together again, only they pressed their faces together.

"What was _that_?" Zim asked.

"An action of affection known as a 'kiss'. Humans press their lips together as an intimate form of affection. Zim felt his mouth. Would that still work if he didn't have lips like the humans? Zim shook his head. He paced around his desk, eyeing the screen which played the scenes of this love disease over and over. The boy giving the flowers to the girl who embraced him, then kissed him. Zim smiled at the idea of the Gaz acting that way. Then, again, he stopped.

"How does this HAPPEN!" Zim finally yelled in frustration. "I AM A MIGHTY IRKEN INVADER! How does this-." He fought the word from leaving his mouth. " _GIRL_! have such an _effect_ on ME!?" Zim turned and slammed his fists onto the table and thought. Long and hard. He could still hear GIR from the ground floor, still singing. "MASTER LIKES GAZZY! MASTER LIKES GAZZY!"

 _Meanwhile_

Dib hid in the bushes, not even a block away from Zim's base, he had just gotten a new headset complete with microphone bugs, binoculars, and a camera with a recording option from a Mysterious Mysteries magazine. Now all he needed to do was catch even a second's glimpse of Zim without his disguise. It was harder to fit in the small bush than it had been when he was a kid, Dib had become a bean pole in his age and his scythe like hair style had gotten longer and thicker.

He focused the lenses as far as he could into Zim's house, through the window he could see the shadow of the little robot bouncing around the house. He couldn't use that footage. Zim would make up some dumb reason why he had a robot. The kids at skool _still_ think he has a skin condition!

"Come on, Zim. Show yourself!" He whispered. Then Dib saw the robot stop and salute, he saw the faint glow of his red eyes. Zim was coming! Now was his chance! Then a squirrel ran into view and stared at Dib through the camera. The camera focused itself to look at the squirrel.

"No!" Dib shooed the squirrel away and focused back into Zim's house. By the time the camera had a clear image of him, he had his disguise back on. Dib sighed, took off his headset, and saw the same squirrel still staring him down a few feet away. Dib picked up the nearest rock and threw it at the squirrel who ran away, it made a clattering sound as it skittered across the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Then he heard the door, Zim's door. He ducked under the bush again and hoped Zim hadn't seen him. He put his headset back on and looked at Zim, he was holding a bouquet of dandelions and other, random leaves.

 _What the hell is he doing with that?_ Dib thought. Zim held them behind his back and strutted off down the sidewalk, still unaware Dib was watching. He trailed him somewhat close behind. Ducking under bushes, behind trees and signs, still unseen. Eventually Dib followed Zim back to his own house.

 _What's he doing?_

Dib got out from behind a sign, taking off his headset as Zim rang the doorbell with his flowers.

"Hey!" He called.

"I'm busy Dib-stink." Zim said, not acknowledging him.

"Busy? With _what_?" Dib walked up behind Zim and spun him around. He looked at the messy bouquet. "What's with the weeds?"

Again, Zim spun around, and rang the doorbell. "I'm busy." He repeated. His PAK opened up and his metal legs picked up Dib and pushed him away.

"I'm attempting courtship with the Gaz-human."

Dib's jaw dropped. Courtship? With Gaz?

 _Zim?! With MY sister?_

Dib ran at Zim and smashed the dandelions into the ground.

"Get out of here!" Dib yelled. Zim, trying his best to ignore the big headed worm baby, bent down to pick up the flowers he had picked for Gaz.

"I am not leaving until I have 'courted' the Gaz." Zim could only grab a few of the flowers before Dib angrily smacked them again. This was starting to get annoying, and Zim didn't want to break his 'crush's' brother.

" _You're_ not doing ANYTHING with _my_ sister! Now get out of here!" Dib matched Zim's glare. He again picked up a few of the flowers just as the front door opened. Gaz hung on the door, clearly bored of both of them. She had already changed into something more comfortable since coming home from skool, she wore a solid black t-shirt and purple striped shorts and her long purple hair was tied in a ponytail.

"What is it Zim?" She asked annoyed. Zim thrust his hand, half-full of smashed flowers, at Gaz. Still glaring at Dib, he gave her the ruined bouquet and stomped away. Gaz stood there with broken flowers, confused, and watched Zim go. Dib came into the house, fuming, and slammed the door muttering to himself about Zim. Then he turned toward Gaz, ripped away the flowers, and threw them out the window. Gaz was still confused about what was going on. As usual, Dib and Zim must have a thing going on.

 _Who cares?_ She thought.

She pulled her GameSlave3 from her pocket and looked down to start playing again, just as she was about to walk away she noticed something yellow at her feet. It was the head of one of the dandelions Zim gave her. Dib must have broken it off. She bent down to pick it up and examined it closely, it was battered and smashed. Gaz stuck it in her pocket and continued her game.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dib sat in his seat in class quietly watching Zim. He was writing something in his notes in a dreamlike state. Dib rose from his seat to catch a glimpse of what he was writing. He couldn't see clearly, but he saw purple. Dib rolled up a piece of paper and threw it at Zim's head.

Zim felt a thump on his head and snapped out of his trance, looking around he saw a paper ball drop onto the floor. Dib was staring him down. He made a motion of his fingers pointing at his eyes, then Zim.

He looked stupid.

Zim looked down at his paper, he had been drawing a sketchy picture of Gaz with her Game-thingy. Zim closed his notebook and sat back in his seat. As usual, the collective stink of the human children made him light headed. He needed to get out of this class. Dib and his giant head of smell had ruined his plans with Gaz yesterday. He, clearly did not like Zim's interest in Gaz. Which only made her more interesting.

He looked up at his blob of a teacher, Mr. Fitsky, as he waddled around ranting about some dumb human topic that didn't seem to have a point. He wore a tan colored button-up shirt that he had slobbishly tucked in to his black pants, and small round glasses that hung on his potato nose. He was the epitome of the repulsive, dirty, drooling slobs of Earth that Zim despised. The stink was getting more and more repulsive, and the monotonic droll of the teacher bored him. Zim stood on his desk and waved his hand in the air, hoping the teacher would notice him.

"Yes, Zim?" Mr. Fitsky acknowledged.

"I have a MIGHTY NEED, to _leave_ the classroom."

The teacher stared at him with empty eyes and began to drool.

"Okay." then he turned back toward his board and began writing again. Zim hopped down from his desk and strutted out of the classroom, giving Dib a taunting smirk as he left.

"You're just going to _let_ him _leave_?" Dib questioned.

"Yes." He groaned.

"Well… then… can _I_ leave?" Dib asked. Again, Mr. Fitsky turned around to stare at Dib who began to feel uncomfortable as he drooled again.

"Okay." He groaned and turned around again. Dib got out of his seat and ran out of the classroom, looking for Zim.

Zim hid behind a wall, a perfect perch to watch Gaz who had happened to be in the hallway as well, playing her Gamey-Thingy. Again, just as yesterday and the day before, Zim felt strange looking at Gaz. But it felt… good. He smiled, she was pleasant to look at. Then he was knocked hard into the wall.

Dib flipped Zim around roughly to look at him and held him against the wall.

"LISTEN _ZIM_! I don't know what you're _doing_. I don't know what you're _planning_. But STAY AWAY FROM GAZ!" Dib yelled, inches from Zim's face. Zim looked back over to Gaz who had seen both of them. She stood in the hallway by the lockers, her purple hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a black dress with black and grey striped leggings with her combat boots, and her skull necklace. The way threads of hair fell down by her face, the way she stood there watching him, this feeling in Zim's guts couldn't not be ignored.

However, Dib could.

The metal legs in Zim's PAK sprung out and forced Dib back, knocking him down. Zim ran over to Gaz. He grabbed her shoulders and pinned his metal legs around her, putting holes in the lockers. Her eyes widened in surprise, Zim's grip on her shoulders tightened and his antenna twitched under his wig when he saw her amber eyes.

"Listen little Gaz. You are now property of _Zim_. You belong to _Zim_ now. Don't let your stink-brother tell you otherwise. You are _mine_." Gaz didn't move an inch, not believing what she was hearing. Then Dib began yelling and barreling down the hallway after him. Zim looked at him, then back at her.

 _I hope this will work…_ Zim thought as he smooshed his 'lips' on Gaz's. She blinked, and didn't say a word as Zim ran down the hallway from Dib. As his one of his metal legs was folding back into his PAK it caught onto Gaz's skull necklace, breaking it off her neck, accidentally taking it with him. Gaz stood frozen in place, wide-eyed. As Dib ran past her, she stuck a foot out in his way tripping him.

Dib fell with a crash onto the floor, he looked up at Zim as he skittered down the hallway. Before Dib could get up the bell rang and students began pouring out of the classrooms. Zim disappeared around a corner.

"GAZ! What'd you do _that_ for? You let him get away!" Dib flipped over to glare at his sister, who had already began walking down the hallway in the other direction. Dib got up and went after her.

"Gaz?" He asked, concerned. Her eyes were still wide from shock, she walked silently down the hallway, ignoring Dib.

"Gaz!" Dib tried again. Then Gaz shut her eyes and launched her fist into Dib's gut making him bend over and fall down in pain. Gaz ran down the hallway, and out the doors of skool, not looking back until she got home.

She slammed the door to her room and locked it. She turned around and sank down to the floor leaning against the door. Gaz sat there for a few seconds until she reached into her dress pocket. She pulled out the dandelion head she had kept yesterday and just looked at it.

 _Zim kissed me._ She thought, over and over again. _Zim. KISSED. Me._

Gaz questioned every little detail about it.

 _Why would he do that?_

 _Am I okay with that?_

 _Did I… like it?_

It was a short, hard, peck on the lips. Definitely the first time he ever did that… being an alien... But why did he do that?

Gaz wasn't sure how she felt about Zim's little speech about her 'belonging' to him now. Usually she would have doomed anyone who so much as _touched_ her. But not Zim... Why? Was that what she wanted? I mean… Zim is an alien. That was weird, wasn't it?

She put the flower on the floor and walked over to sit on her bed. She pulled out her GameSlave3 to take her mind off of Zim. But, even on one of the easiest levels, she couldn't focus, and the vampire piggies devoured her. She kept looking back at the lonely, battered, flower on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Zim strode proudly around his house, thinking of Gaz, and how he easily escaped Dib. He would mark this day under 'successful'. GIR trotted into the room sucking on the straw of a chocolate bubblegum milkshake, in his disguise. Suddenly GIR stopped, dropped his milkshake, and saluted Zim.

"Master, your PAK is malfunctioning." Zim stopped and looked back at his PAK. One of the metal legs had gotten stuck when returning inside. He unfolded them to straighten them out, when something fell to the floor. GIR began to shriek and run around the room wildly.

"IT'S SCARY!" The robot cried. Zim bent down to pick it up. This was Gaz's skull necklace, it must have gotten caught on his legs.

"This is Gaz's…" Zim said to himself.

 _I have to return it._ He thought. It would be a good reason to see her again.

 _Meanwhile_

Dib walked home, still fuming from skool. Zim had done too far now. He would pay for what he did to Gaz. Dib shuddered at the thought of the little green thing _kissing_ his little sister. Finally, Dib reached his house.

 _Should I try to talk to Gaz? Was she okay?_ Dib thought as he opened the door. He rubbed his belly where Gaz had punched him before.

 _I'm sure it must have been traumatizing for her…_ Dib thought as he walked upstairs to Gaz's room. He knocked on the door.

"Gaz? You in there?"

"Go away." He heard from inside.

"I won't let him get away with it Gaz."

"Get away with what?"

"He… I mean… at skool… when he…" Dib couldn't say it. It was just too awful.

"Go away, Dib." She snapped again.

Dib was about to speak again when he heard the doorbell ring. He went downstairs to open the door, and there was Zim standing there holding Gaz's skull necklace.

Dib screamed and tackled Zim in a fit of rage. He began punching and kicking him as Zim tried to do the same.

"FILTHY HUMAN! RELEASE ZIM!" Zim screamed as they rolled around on the ground.

"YOU ALIEN SCUM!" Dib yelled as he swung at Zim.

Dib felt something yank on the back of his shirt, pulling him off of Zim.

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Gaz shouted getting between Zim and Dib. She faced Dib, protecting Zim who had clearly been hurt.

"Gaz! What are you _doing!?_ Why are you _helping_ him!" Dib shouted angrily.

"I'm not… I'm just."

"After what he did?" Dib shouted again.

"ZIM has done NOTHING to the Gaz! ZIM would NEVER do things to the Gaz!" Zim shouted from behind Gaz, pointing at Dib.

"Don't make such a big deal about it. It was nothing." Gaz snapped at Dib.

"Nothing?!" Dib shouted. "He… He…"

"It was nothing." Gaz repeated.

Dib couldn't believe she was defending him. HIM! ZIM! The _alien_ that wanted to _destroy_ Earth!

Gaz looked back at Zim, he looked hurt. Dib really wailed on him, hard. He held his right arm, and favored one leg. Gaz sighed, she felt bad for him.

"If you want to keep all of your limbs, just go back inside, Dib." Gaz said as she turned to help Zim.

"But Gaz!" Dib shouted as Gaz put an arm around Zim to hold him up.

"Go inside, Dib." Gaz said starting to walk off with Zim.

Dib turned around and slammed the door to his house while Gaz walked off with Zim, who fidgeted most of the way. Then Zim took Gaz's waist and held her tight as his robot legs sprung from his PAK and stared spider walking it's way to Zim's base.

When they finally arrived, Zim set Gaz down.

"What's with you lately?" Gaz demanded.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Zim said, turning away from her, opening the door. This was a stupid adventure for the Gaz beast. Not worth the effort. This 'love' disease was clearly non-existent.

"'Don't know what I mean'?" Gaz snapped, punching him in the back of the shoulder. Zim was knocked forward, his wig half fell off his head, one of his antenna came up from under it. Zim whipped around to yell at the Gaz, but stopped. She was staring right at him. Zim felt his face getting hot being so close to the human girl, his antenna began to twitch.

"You've been hanging around my house lately, bugging me, and following me. You _KISSED_ me at skool today! What. Is. Your. Deal?!" Gaz stepped forward threatening another punch, Zim backed up into his house fixing his wig.

"MY _deal_? Zim has no _idea_ of what you speak of!" He crossed his arms and glared at the little purple human. "It is yooouuu with the _deal._ You have infected Zim with some sort of bug! A _filthy_ Earthly disease! Or mind control device!" He began circling Gaz, ranting. "I cannot think straight, my chest feels wormy, my head is full of thoughts of _you_ and your…" Zim could not think of an insult that would match her. He squirmed, fighting for words. " _EARTH hair!"_

"Even NOW you work your evil with my brain! I'm having some sort of reaction to your… to… your…" Zim thought. Was exactly was it about her that made Zim feel so strange? He could see nothing specific. He walked closer, looking for the trigger.

Zim got very close to her, just… _looking_ at her. Gaz shrank back, remembering what happened at skool. Was he going to do it again?

 _Was I going to let him?_ Gaz blushed. Zim's eyes got big.

"THAT! What you _just_ did! That was the trigger! What are you doing to _Zim_?"

"N-nothing." Gaz stuttered.

"Where is the antidote?" Zim shouted.

"There's not-"

"How do I reverse the effects?"

"I don't-"

" _DONT_ LIE TO ZIM! I _know_ you're lying! Zim has _never_ felt like this before! You make me feel. I feel..." Zim whipped around, and crossed his arms again. "I feel… like you're _not_ an ugly Earth weasel."

"Am I?" Gaz asked.

"No." Zim said quickly. His eyes widened.

 _Impossible. ALL Earthens are scum._

But when Zim thought of Gaz. The words that came to mind were not _scum._ She made him feel like he was flying through space. Not the dark blackness of deep space, but the space with bright stars, purple smudges of space clouds and swirling solar systems, red dwarf stars, and breath-taking galaxies. The pretty parts of space. Zim looked back at her again. Could GIR be right? For once? Was this feeling… love? For the human?

"Why did you come over anyway? You knew Dib would be mad." Gaz asked.

Zim remembered the necklace, he pulled it from his pocket and held it out to Gaz.

"This is yours." He said simply. Gaz touched her throat.

"I didn't even realize it was gone." Zim pulled back and played with the clasp nervously. "Could I?" He asked. Gaz thought, turned around and held her hair up. Zim put the little skull necklace around Gaz's neck. Being close to her made Zim's whole body _feel_ again. His antennae twitched from under the wig. He thought about the human children on the screen, wondering if Gaz would want to be close to him like that as well. He clasped the necklace and stepped back.

Gaz turned around, playing with her hands. She looked at Zim and gave a half smile. Zim froze, looked both ways and grinned. Gaz was about to say something when GIR came zipping in the room holding a precarious stack of waffles swimming in syrup.

"EAT MY WAFFLES!" GIR shrieked at Gaz. For once, she wasn't annoyed. She took a bite of one of the waffles and nodded at GIR who spun around to shove them in Zim's face.

"EAT MY WAFFLES!" GIR shrieked again. Zim groaned and ate a waffle as well. Then GIR dropped the waffles spilling syrup and waffles all over the floor, and nonchalantly walked over to the TV and put on the Scary Monkey Show as if nothing happened.

Zim and Gaz shared a look.

"I um. I should go. Thanks for my necklace… I guess." Gaz turned and reached for the door. Zim panicked. He _liked_ when his body _felt_ around Gaz. If she went away perhaps it would go too.

"Wait! I err…." Zim stumbled. Gaz stopped.

"I… um… DEMAND you partake in the Scary Monkey! It is _very_ interesting! You _must_ watch!"

"Dib is waiting for me."

"I care not of the actions of the _Dib_. You are property of ZIM now." Zim took her shoulders and lead her to the couch. "Come. You _must_ see the monkey now."

Gaz let him set her up on the couch. She didn't mind. She was starting to like being around Zim. It was better than being annoyed by Dib or ignored by her Dad. So she stayed and watched TV.

Zim had sat a fair distance away from Gaz, sitting closer to GIR. He had removed his disguise, but he still felt uncomfortable in his own home. He kept glancing at Gaz and back at the horrible monkey. He kept thinking of the humans on the screen before. Would Gaz allow him to get closer? He scooted over, barely an inch. She didn't seem to notice. He could get closer. Zim kept sliding closer and closer to Gaz until they were an arms width apart. He shouldn't risk it, but he wanted to be closer to her. Gaz glanced at Zim who finally stopped scooting toward her. She looked at him quickly. His antenna wouldn't stopped twitching and changing positions, he played with his hands.

Zim had been acting weird this whole time, but she hadn't been annoyed by it yet. She kind of liked Zim, she remembered the little dandelions he gave her. And when he said he felt strange around her? Zim put his hand down beside him, so he didn't have to pick at his gloves anymore. Gaz looked at his hand, then back at the TV. She sighed and put her hand on top of his. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

Gaz was _touching_ him. And… he wasn't repulsed by it. He scooted closer to her, and she scooted toward him.

As the sun set Gaz had fallen asleep. Zim watched her closely, as she leaned on his shoulder. This was definitely a strange feeling, but he couldn't help but smile at her. Her head slipped off his shoulder and onto his lap. Zim froze, unsure what to do. She had not woken up, and he didn't want to wake her up. He let her lay there, asleep. Until the sun finally set, leaving the sky black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Gaz woke up an hour ago and managed to slip out of Zim's house without him noticing. She had skool in the morning and she wanted to ride the normal bus. She quietly opened the door to her home, snuck up the stairs, and entered her room without a sound.

"So. You're home." She heard a voice from the dark. A dumb voice.

"Get out of my room, Dib."

"Are you done hanging around the _enemy?_ " Dib accused. "Boy I hope he made it home okay. It only took 5 hours."

"I said get out of my room."

"What are you _doing_ Gaz? Taking _his_ side?"

"I don't care about your little feud. It doesn't matter who I talk to."

"Gaz. He's an _alien._ He's trying to _destroy_ the Earth! You're becoming a _traitor_ to your whole species!"

"My species is stupid." Gaz pushed Dib out of the way as she put her backpack away.

"What if he wins? Huh? Have you thought about which side you'll take then? Would you turn your back on your species _then?_ And what about Dad? Would you betray him? Would you betray _me?_ "

"I'm not betraying anyone. Get out. Now." Gaz pushed Dib out of her room and slammed the door shut.

"Gaz, I'm just trying to help you! I'm your brother!" Dib banged on the locked door. Gaz fell asleep in her bed after a long, strange day.

Zim paced in the labs the next morning thinking.

 _Last night. With Gaz. That was. Weird. Wasn't it?_

"I must NEVER do that AGAIN! Letting the Gaz-beast into my base, letting my guard down!" Zim squirmed in repulsion. "TOUCHING HER!" He shrieked. "What would my _Mighty Tallest_ think of this Gaz-human interrupting my _amazing_ plans?"

Zim stopped. What _would_ the Tallest think of Gaz? What would he say to them?

' _The human makes me feel'?_ Nonsense. The 'love' disease was no match for Zim's superior brain. He was once a Mighty Irken soldier! He has gone through vigorus physical and mental trials to become so! He cannot be thwarted by human emotions. 'To have sympathy or mercy for another species was to turn you back on your own.' Zim had learned that countless times on Devastis during his training as an invader.

 _All humans are scum. Including Gaz._

 _Except Gaz._

Zim shook his head. He had grown tired fighting himself all night since the Gaz escaped his base.

"The Gaz has no interest in Zim anyway." Zim grumbled. "She would not have left otherwise." Zim stood tall and began disguising himself.

"GIR!" He called. Again, without warning, the little robot slammed down from the ceiling. Zim continued without pause.

"I need you to keep an eye out for the Gaz. Watch her. Let me know if she comes ANYWHERE near the base. Understand?"

"I like Gaz…" The robot cooed.

"No GIR. You don't. I mean… WE don't." Zim started up the path to the elevator. "Remember GIR. Watch her."

Zim went up the elevator to his ground base. "The brain-feels Gaz has effected me with must be fought. I will NOT SUCCUMB! I AM ZIM!" Zim yelled as he left the elevator and went off to another day at skool.

Zim spent the rest of the day fighting his brain-feels. All thoughts of Gaz were forcefully replaced with plans of destruction. That is, until he saw her. Gaz was eating lunch with Dib, as usual, but UNusually, he sat a farther distance away from Gaz. Zim sat in his usual spot, observing her until Dib noticed him watching. Dib glared at Zim who immediately looked down and began poking and prodding at his food-goop.

 _I am not watching the Gaz._ Zim thought, kicking himself for watching the Gaz. _I am planning world domination of this filthy planet._

Gaz looked up, Zim was, as usual, experimenting with the gross food. Gaz looked back down at her GameSlave3. While not paying attention, the vampire piggies had crushed her health bar. She couldn't get in the game like she used to. Her mind was preoccupied with Zim; who had not noticed her since last night. She looked at Dib who was glaring at Zim from across the room. Stupid Dib. He was still mad at me for hanging out with Zim last night, I still don't see what the big deal was. It wasn't like I was _doing_ anything with him. Zim looked up, Gaz looked down.

 _See_? Zim thought _The Gaz has no interest in Zim._

Zim looked back down at his human-waste-food and casually dumped it as every other day. He thought about last night when sleeping Gaz rested on his lap. She looked peaceful, it made Zim feel, happy, to see her that way. Zim shook his head again.

 _I am am thinking of the destruction of all humans!_ Zim force-thought, still fighting the brain-feels. _No thoughts of Gaz or her… pleasant smelling Earth hair._

Gaz watched as Zim left the cafeteria, shaking his head repeatedly. The last thing she remembered from last night was leaning on Zim's shoulder, he tensed up like some kind of paranoid weirdo, then she woke up on the couch and he was nowhere to be seen. She saw Dib staring at her from the corner of her eye.

"What's your problem?" She asked, annoyed.

"What's YOUR problem? You run off with the enemy and now you can't stop staring at him!" Dib snapped. Gaz got up, she didn't have to listen to his ranting again. She dumped her food and walked out to go to recess like everyone else.

Gaz sat on the steps of the skool to play her GameSlave3 like every other day. But just like every other time she's tried, she couldn't get into the zone.

Zim was frozen in place on the side wall of the stairs, hidden from view of the Gaz. She had come out to sit sooner than he had expected and now he was trapped there for fear of being seen if he tried to move. He looked over the wall, she was mashing the buttons on her game device in frustration. Zim dove back down on the side of the stairs.

 _What do I do now?! If I move the Gaz will see me!_ The Earth children glanced at Zim in confusion, wondering why he was sitting there, but Gaz didn't notice them. She was too focused on the game.

Eventually Zim sat quietly by the stairs calming down. He was wondering whether or not he should confront Gaz again, or if he should just run away and hope she wouldn't notice him.

What did the computer say about 'courtship' again? Gifts and compliments… The non-smelly Earth flowers did not work as planned. What else would a human girl like as a gift? Zim looked around his feet and saw a smooth, oval rock. Humans like rocks don't they? He picked up the grey rock and examined it. It was dull, humans like pretty, shiny rocks, Zim remembered. The rock wasn't solid grey, it was speckled with small white dots. That could be 'pretty' to an Earth girl. Right? Zim polished the rock with his shirt, it didn't 'shine' but it looked much cleaner. Zim looked over the wall again, Gaz was still on her game device. Still there. Zim looked at his gift for Gaz and straightened his back. He jumped out from behind the wall, and just as he had figured, the Gaz noticed him immediately.

"Hello!" Zim began confidently, "I would like to present you with this 'pretty' Earth rock!" Zim said handing Gaz the stone.

"It is shiny! Is it not?"

"Um… yea. It's shiny." Gaz said spinning it around in her hands. It was pretty too. She liked the shade of grey, and the white specks.

"Then I have 'gifted' successfully?" Zim asked leaning toward Gaz. Gaz gave a half smile, Zim was so dumb.

"Yea." Gaz smiled.

The kids around the playground stopped in their tracks. All eyes on the two on the steps, mostly on Gaz. Gaz was _smiling._ At _Zim._ For everyone that ever knew Gaz or even looked at her from a passing glance knew for a fact: Gaz didn't smile at anything. The playground was dead silent. Balls dropped from the hands of shocked students, hopscotchers froze in place, pebbles in hand, children hung upside down on the monkey bars. Everything was silent.

Zim saw none of this, if he did, he would have freaked out and boasted about how human he was. All he saw was that, not only had he successfully 'gifted' Gaz, but he had made her smile as well. The brain-feels felt stronger than before. He decided he would sit beside the Gaz, he could still fight the brain-feels from here. Nice and close to the Gaz.

Zim kept staring at her. What did he want? Gaz could feel herself start to blush. Zim poked her cheek.

"What is that?" Zim asked, interested. Gaz smacked his hand away.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Or _something_?" Zim squinted at her.

"Nothing." Gaz repeated.

"You did that before. And I feel the feels again. What are you doing?"

"What 'feels' are you talking about?" Gaz glared at Zim.

"Zim… has told you before!" Zim crossed his arms and looked away from Gaz. His antennae twitched.

"What? That I'm _not_ an ugly Earth weasel?"

"Yes… you are… a slightly more _appealing_ Earth weasel."

"What?" Gaz was getting mad. Zim looked back at her. She wasn't _just_ appealing. She was… she was…

"Like the rock!" Zim said quickly.

"Huh?" Gaz asked, confused.

"You are like the pretty, shiny, Earth rock!" Zim said pointing at his gift. Gaz's face went full-on red.

 _Did Zim just call me… 'pretty'?_

"Your face is malfunctioning." Zim said, sounding worried.

Gaz looked away.

"Gaz-human?"

Gaz got up and left.

 _What's wrong now?_ Zim looked down at the rock Gaz had left, he picked it up, spun it in his hands and scowled. _Stupid. Comparing the Gaz to the_ rock _was a STUPID decision. Now I had upset her._

 _Why did I care?_ Zim thought. He sighed.

...

He looked at the rock.

...

...

 _Because I care._

Gaz walked quickly down the hallway fighting back tears.

 _Stupid Zim._ Gaz thought. He called her pretty!

It wasn't that Gaz didn't appreciate the compliment. She couldn't care less. It was whether or not that made her _like_ him. Zim had been being so _stupid_ lately. Giving her those flowers, that rock, calling her pretty. She didn't want Zim to be nice to her. She didn't want to have to _choose._

"Gaz-human!"

Gaz ignored him, walking faster.

"Gaz!"

"Go away, Zim."

"Gaz!"

"Leave me alone."

"Zim is sorry!" Zim yelled down the hallway. "Wait!"

Gaz could hear the tapping of the spider legs running down the hallway. Zim got in front of Gaz and stopped her from going away by backing her into the wall.

"Please do not be upset. I was trying to compliment you."

"Get out of the way, Zim." Gaz said trying to move Zim.

"Please do not be mad at Zim. I cannot feel the feels without you." Gaz stopped and crossed her arms in frustration, listening. Zim's antenna twitched again.

"I like the brain-feels."

Gaz glared at Zim.

 _What if he wins? Would you turn your back on your species then? What about dad? Would you betray him?_

Gaz looked away.

"I… I love the brain-feels."

 _Would you betray me?_

Gaz looked at Zim, still glaring.

 _My species is stupid._

Gaz leaned forward and kissed Zim on his cheek. Zim did not expect affection. He jumped, his antennae flung up straight in the air knocking off his wig in surprise. He scrambled to put it back, before anyone saw. Gaz blushed. Zim blinked.

Did that mean the Gaz was not angry with Zim? Did she accept his courtship? Did Gaz have feels too?

"You...did…" Zim couldn't speak. "You... forgot your Earth rock." He pulled out Gaz's stone and held it out. Gaz took it and gave another half smile, she put it in her pocket, with her dandelion.

"Thanks."

Gaz hugged Zim. Zim, startled, reeled back with his arms up. The Gaz was _touching_ him again. Just like with the two humans. She squeezed him with her arms. The brain-feels told him to squeeze her back. Zim put his arms around the Gaz and held her.

She wasn't disgusting. She wasn't a smelly, ugly, worm baby like all the others. She wasn't stupid like her sibling, she wasn't repulsive like her species.

 _She was pleasant._

Zim squeezed her.

 _And she was mine._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Zim paced back and forth in his home living room as the rain poured hard outside.

"Cursed acid-liquid." He muttered once in awhile.

 _It wasn't_ fair. Zim thought _._ His Gaz was waiting for him. And Zim was out of his protection-paste. The only place to acquire more was skool, which he couldn't go to because of this rain! Zim took one final look at the rain and retreated down to his base labs.

"Gaz love-pig must be _distraught_ that her ZIM has not accompanied her this _filthy_ Earth day." Zim said, annoyed. "No matter. Today is a day for _research_. _Plaaannns."_

Zim had not been able to focus since he realized his infatuation with the Dib-sister. The Almighty Tallest must be wondering what he has been up to.

It's been a few years since he was last contacted by his mighty leaders… 3 Earth years to be exact. Zim had spent 8 years on Earth in total, and has progressed though the "grade system" and was now known by his peers as a "senior". Strange since similar peers known by that title were still puny Earthen children.

"Perhaps it is time for an update." Zim said sitting before his enormous screen.

"Computer!" Zim called. Then he heard thunder crack, making him remember the rain, and Gaz.

 _Perhaps just a quick look._

"Locate Gaz Membrane." He demanded.

A blip on the screen began to beep a fair distance from his base. It began zooming in until a picture formed on the screen. The camera Zim had placed at school turned to locate Gaz. She sat on the steps playing with her Gamey-Device.

 _Good to know my tracker works._ Zim smiled. Her peers played in the rain, floating around singing 'we love rain' like the ridiculous meat-bags they were.

She sat alone, concentrating on the destruction of the virtual creatures that opposed her. Zim leaned forward, admiring his love-pig, with a dark smile spread on his face. A smile that quickly faded when he saw the Dib sit beside her. He could only see that he was talking to her, but he was too far away and the rain interfered with the microphone so he could not hear what he was saying. All he knew was that his Gaz punched him in his pitiful organs, which threw him over the side of the stairs and into a puddle.

Zim's smile returned.

Meanwhile

Gaz walked outside and sat in her usual place on the stairs, her dumb classmates had already taken full advantage of the rain, splashing around and singing songs that made her head sick.

Zim hadn't come today, probably _because_ of the rain. So Gaz turned her attention to the vampire piggies, which she was able to quickly destroy in mass numbers.

She heard a beeping sound and looked around, she found nothing and the beeping stopped so she continued her game.

"Hey Gaz." Dib called from behind her. The sickness in her head multiplied as her brother sat beside her.

"Where's _Zim._ " He spit. Gaz punched him in the gut, pushing him off the side of the stairs, she heard the splash of what was probably a very big puddle. A half smile grew on Gaz's grim face.

"Very funny." Dib said coming around the corner, now sopping wet. His hair thing fell limp on the side of his face.

"I'm just trying to help you know."

"It none of your business." Gaz said, annoyed.

"An _alien_ is trying to get his _alien_ claws on _my_ sister. And it's none of my _business_?" Dib snapped.

"No." Gaz snapped back.

"He's an _alien_ Gaz! That's disgusting! He's trying to take over Earth!"

"Tak is an alien." Gaz shot a menacing glare at Dib who blushed. "And she did a better job at trying to destroy the Earth in less than a week than Zim had done in 8 years."

 _Tak_. Dib thought. _I hadn't seen her in years._

Dib thought back about his childhood crush back in elementary school who had tried to make Earth an offering full of snacks to her leaders.

"That's different." He said, finding his voice. "I thought she was human."

"Yea well, she wasn't." Gaz said, packing her backpack.

"Where are you going?" Dib yelled.

"Zim's house." Gaz said walking out in the rain.

"Like _hell_ you are!" Dib ran up and grabbed Gaz's shoulder. Immediately afterwards, a stuffed animal flew out from Gaz's backpack and attacked Dib. Everyone gathered around to watch as Dib wrestled with a stuffed rabbit and mocked him mercilessly, In the rain, the rabbit short circuited and fell limp. Dib threw it away and tried pushing through the circle of mocking teenagers. When he finally pushed through, Gaz was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Zim had contacted The Tallest and was now boasting about his mission, his promotions in the grade system, how he stopped Dib from entering his labs on multiple occasions, and his progress on his latest plan, which wasn't much to tell since he was still thinking of a plan.

The only thing he hadn't mentioned was the Gaz. He didn't want the Tallest to know about her. Not quite yet. It was too risky.

"And so I have begun plans to once and for all _destroy_ this nasty planet. And this time, with my new home defenses, the Dib-human will not interfere." Zim boasted while pacing back and forth not paying attention as Tallest Red listened, bored, and Tallest Purple fell asleep.

"Yep. Yea. That's great Zim." He droned. Tallest Purple began to snore.

"INTRUDER ALERT." Zim's alarm blared, waking Tallest Purple up.

"Snacks?" Purple asked, dazed and groggy.

"What is it now Zim?" Red demanded.

Zim ran and checked his security screens, Gaz had entered his base and was making her way down to his labs. So much for his advances in home defenses...

"Um NOTHING! My Tallest! NOTHING AT ALL!" Zim panicked. "Only a simple… um… EARTH SQUIRREL!" He grinned innocently.

"An Earth what?" Tallest Purple asked.

"AN EARTH SQUIRREL! YES! Just a pesky _vermin_ chewing on my wires." Zim yelled scrambling around. He heard the elevator lower Gaz down, and the doors opened.

"Zim?" She called.

"What was that?" Tallest Red asked looking around the side of the screen, thank Irk Gaz was out of view. Zim ran at her and began pushing her back into the elevator.

"Get out of here. I will deal with you later." He whispered.

"What are you- Hey! Quit it!" Gaz said angrily. The rain had drenched Gaz, touching her burned his hands and he yelled and backed away. She looked over at the enormous screen to see two green people that looked like Zim, only a little taller. Zim had grown since he was sent to Earth, something he boasted about a lot. Height was important to him for some reason.

"Aren't those your leaders?" She asked walking past Zim.

"Gaz no!" He whispered, still in pain.

Gaz walked up to the screen to take a better look. Almost immediately, the Irkens made disgusted faces.

"What _is_ that?" Purple shouted, pointing.

"Ugh! Isn't that a human?" Red sneered. Gaz scowled at them and crossed her arms.

"NO! I mean… YES!" Zim shouted, quickly standing in front of Gaz, his arms outstretched. "But she is… um… my SLAVE! YES! I have hypnotized her!"

Zim turned and began making weird wavey motions at Gaz. "Go now SLAVE! Prepare me some of your _DELICIOUS_ Earth food!"

Zim darted his eyes at the elevator, motioning Gaz to leave. Gaz kicked Zim in the gut and stomped away. Zim squealed in pain and doubled over.

"It's… still a work in progress." Zim gasped clutching his squeedily spooch. "But my slave no less! Perfectly normal as you can see!" Zim rose and grinning innocently. Both of his leaders looked suspicious.

"Alright well… good work I suppose…" Tallest Red said, confused.

"We have to go now." Tallest Purple lied. The screen went black. Zim breathed deeply.

 _That went smoothly._ He thought triumphantly. He turned around, Gaz had left his lab up the elevator.

Zim ran to the same elevator and followed her up.

Gaz was making her way to the door by the time Zim reached her. Excitedly, he grabbed Gaz in a full hug. Which quickly turned sour as his whole body was burned by the rain that still drenched her. Gaz pushed him away, still mad.

"What was _that_?" Gaz demanded.

"I was _trying_ to show _affection_ for my love-pig!" Zim groaned.

"Not _that."_ Gaz snapped. "The whole _slave_ thing. And quit calling me 'love-pig'!"

"I didn't want them to…"

"Are you _embarrassed_ of me?" Gaz questioned.

"What?" Zim asked, confused. Why would he be embarrassed of his Gaz?

"Well?" She said, waiting, she folded her arms and tapped her foot.

"Why would I be embarrassed?" Zim cocked his head to one side. Gaz stopped, her scowl growing.

"I'm human. Not… Ekren, or whatever."

"Irken?" Zim corrected.

"Yea whatever." Gaz turned her head away.

"I can't let them know yet. Not yet… They wouldn't… I mean… you're…" Zim couldn't find words.

"Yea whatever. I get it." Gaz turned and opened the door.

"Gaz wait!" Zim said as he started after her. He reaching out to grab her hand, but the rain still poured outside. It burned Zim and he retreated back into his home as Gaz walked off leaving Zim alone.

Dib laid in bed in his room thinking. What was he going to do with Gaz? How could he convince her to stay away from Zim? I mean, Zim was ZIM! If _that_ wasn't enough to get her to cross the street when he came near, then how could he do it? Zim is an alien, what else could he say?

 _Tak is an alien._ Dib sighed and rubbed his face under his glasses.

Tak…

Dib sighed again, and got out of bed. Then he heard the door slam. He went out of his room to see Gaz stomping past him and into her own room before slamming the door again.

 _Maybe I didn't_ have _to convince her._ Dib thought, smiling. He went downstairs for something to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Zim followed Gaz to skool, she still wasn't speaking to him, which frustrated Zim.

"Love-pig?" He asked, coyly following her.

"Don't call me that." She said, not turning to acknowledge him, playing her GS3.

"What have I done?" Zim asked, for the third time in a row. Gaz sighed. He was so _stupid_.

"I am not _embarrassed_ of you, Gaz. My leaders… They wouldn't understand. _I_ don't even understand." He pleaded. He tried to stand in front of Gaz, but she moved around him.

"This is not something _normal_ on my planet. Even if you WERE Irken! We don't feel like this Gaz!"

Still she ignored him, walking along the sidewalk, not paying attention to him.

"Mates are _assigned_ to us. We don't even share affection! We don't breed with each other, we don't feel _anything_ with each other, we would barely _see_ each other! How could I explain _this_ to my Tallest?"

Gaz began walking into the street.

"GAZ!" Zim yelled jumping into her, knocking her over on the other side of the street. A car horn blared past them and screeched around a corner. Gaz whipped around to glare at Zim before she saw the car whiz past them.

"Woh…" She muttered. Gaz was almost _killed_. She looked at Zim who immediately began moving her body around, checking all of her appendages for injuries.

"Are you hurt?" He stammered, then gasped dramatically, her knees were scraped on the sidewalk when he tackled her.

"YOUR LEG JOINTS!" Gaz moved Zim off of her and began getting up, Zim held his arms out as if she would fall over.

"I'm fine." She brushed gravel and dirt off of her clothes and looked at her knees. Zim looked really worried, then somewhat disgusted.

"Why is it _red?"_ He questioned, kneeling to examine it.

"I don't know. It just is." She didn't want to have to explain about human biology and oxygen in the blood. She winced, wiping off her knees which began dripping a little.

"Is it fatal?" He asked, his eyes wide with worry.

"No." Gaz snickered. "I just need a bandage. But…" She looked at Zim, and smiled. "Thanks."

Zim shrunk into his shoulders and smiled back, nervous. Gaz opened her arms and hugged him again. Zim, knowing what to do now, hugged her back. Then a scowl formed on his face and he pushed her back.

"Why weren't you paying attention?" He yelled, surprising Gaz. "That human could have-" then he stopped turning his attention away from Gaz looking around the streets as if he was going to see the long-gone car.

"WHERE IS IT?!" He yelled, standing up higher on his PAK legs. A half smile spread on Gaz's face. "COME BACK HERE AND FACE THE WRATH OF _ZIM!"_

 _He really cares about me…_

"FACE ME HUMAN _FILTH!_ YOU WILL PAY FOR DAMAGING MY LOVE-PIG!"

Gaz sighed. "Girlfriend." She corrected. Zim turned around, confused.

"Eh?"

"Call me your 'girlfriend' not love-pig." She took Zim's hand and pulled him down off his PAK legs. She began walking off with his hand in hers. Zim, confused, allowed it and walked beside her.

Gaz and Zim arrived at skool, still holding hands. Gaz explained that it was a symbol of affection on Earth, a way for others to know that they were a 'couple', or 'mates' as Zim understood it, and were off-limits to other suitors. As they walked along the skool yard, they received multiple confused stares and whispers, which made Zim jumpy and nervous.

"Just ignore them." Gaz said, sensing his panic. She tugged him toward the entrance where not as many students would watch them.

"Look! The _freaks_ are dating now!" Zim heard a girl cry out, laughter broke out behind them. Zim whipped around, glaring in the direction of the noise, a taller girl with blonde hair surrounded by other snickering females leaned on the fence crossing her arms and smirking at them.

"Freaks?" Zim shouted. "Zim is NO FREAK! How _DARE_ you mock ZIM!"

The laughter grew, Zim's eye began to twitch and his antennae flattened threatingly. Gaz pulled him inside before he could shout at them again.

Dib opened his locker to gather books for his next class, still thinking about Gaz. He didn't dare knock on her door this morning, she might still be pissed about whatever happened yesterday, so he left for skool without her. He hoped she was okay.

"Did you hear about the green kid and that scary girl?" Dib overheard a couple of girls chatting a few lockers away. "I think they're dating now."

Dib's stomach dropped to the floor. There was only one green kid. And only one scary girl. He balled his hands into fists.

"Yea, I know! I saw them _holding_ _hands_ this morning." Another girl joined in.

"I heard they _kissed_ the other day." Another girl giggled.

Dib slammed his locker shut, hearing stuff fall inside it, and stomped away.

Zim had gone far enough. Whatever he was planning to do with Gaz ends today.

Zim trailed Gaz like a lost puppy most of the day, which Gaz didn't seem to mind. She was starting to really like Zim, aside from his random outbursts boasting about how human he was, which after 8 years, she was only just now starting to get used to. She kissed Zim's cheek every once in a while before he left her to go to class, and glared at anyone who said anything about it. Everything was going better than she thought it would.

 _The only problem is Dib_. She thought.

She knew she was going to get an earful about how horrible Zim is, and how disgusting it was that she wanted to be so close to him. She already had three or four people tell her that Dib was looking for her and Zim. She knew she'd have to face him at lunch, she couldn't dodge him forever.

"Gaz?" Zim asked. She snapped out of the trance her thoughts put her in and looked at Zim who watched her curiously.

"I'm fine. I gotta go." She turned around and walked into her class.

 _Gaz had been doing that a lot lately._ Zim thought.

" _Zim._ " Someone hissed a ways behind him. He turned to see the big headed boy pushing through students, giving him a deathly glare. People started to gather around them, expecting a show.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?" He yelled threateningly.

"I know not of what you mean stink-boy." Zim turned to leave but Dib caught him by the PAK and slammed him into a wall, kids gathered closer, forming a circle around the two enemies.

"Don't you _FUCKING_ dare, ZIM! What did you do to Gaz?"

"Release me NOW putrid worm-beast!" Zim struggled, pushing Dib away. Dib reeled back and punched Zim hard in the face and knocked him to the ground. Kids groaned imagining the pain and laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO GAZ?!" Dib yelled again. Zim wiped his mouth, matching Dib's deadly glare.

"Let me through, get out of my way. Move!" Zim saw a flash of purple moving through the crowd of mocking children.

"Dib!" Gaz called, breaking through the kids.

"Stay out of this Gaz!" Dib snapped, ignoring her.

"Dib knock it off!" She tried to pull him away from Zim as he threatened another hit, but he pushed her back.

"I said stay out of this Gaz!" Dib turned and yelled right into Gaz's face.

"You will _not_ speak to her that way insolent fool boy!" Zim came up behind Dib and threw him to the side, and stood in front of her. Dib, lost his balance and fell over. Kids laughed and jeered at both of them.

"Gaz, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Dib demanded, getting up. "He's an alien!"

"Shut up Dib! I can do whatever I want!" Gaz yelled behind Zim, who kept her behind him.

"What did he do to you? Mind control? Black mail? Some kind of alien-slave machine?"

"You're so _STUPID_!" Gaz shouted, pushing Zim out of the way. "You're so bent on your _stupid_ little feud, you don't even CARE about what _I_ want! Here I am trying to be _happy_ for the first time in YEARS! And all you can think about is if he's trying to CONTROL me. When YOU'VE been trying to control me my whole life!"

Dib stepped back as Gaz backed him up, pushing him every few feet. The circle got bigger, making room for the fighting siblings.

"Well guess what Dib?" She shouted, pushing him again, making him fall over, he looked up in horror at his terrifying sister. "You _can't_ control me. I can date whoever I want, whenever I want to! And you have no _fucking_ say in it!"

Gaz turned around and walked off, taking Zim's hand and pulling him with her. Dib sat there watching her leave with Zim. Everybody took a long look at Dib before splitting up into the classrooms. Dib got up and walked to his, alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A new episode of Mysterious Mysteries was on, but Dib didn't care, The whole show had practically plummeted since the host went crazy after interviewing Zim and Dib.

Besides, Dib's mind was occupied.

 _Zim and Gaz. Gaz and Zim._

 _Zim… and Gaz…._

 _Gaz… and Zim…_

 _My sister… and… an alien…_

Dib punched his bedroom wall, denting it. He was still mad at Zim for whatever he was doing to Gaz.

 _Maybe he wasn't doing anything._ Dib thought. Afterall, Zim hadn't really done anything in years.

 _Which means another plan was overdue. A plan involving Gaz somehow._ Dib punched the same place in his wall, denting it further.

 _You're so STUPID!_ Dib thought of Gaz's outburst at skool today. He hadn't seen her since the fight.

 _Here I am trying to be_ happy _for the first time in YEARS!_ Dib sighed and sat on his bed. As much of a pain Gaz had been most of his life he still loved her to death. She was his sister afterall. He only wanted to protect her, he only wanted her to _be_ happy. But could she really be happy with Zim? Zim had been his enemy for years, could he trust him?

 _Could I afford not to?_ He was sure if he didn't ease up on Gaz, she would kill him. He was incredibly lucky she didn't maim him today at skool.

 _But Zim could do worse. To Gaz._ Dib brushed that off quickly. He knew his sister could take care of herself. If she wanted to she would have crushed Zim like the alien bug he was. But she didn't. Maybe she really liked Zim.

 _Maybe he really liked her..._

 _Zim and Gaz..._

 _Gaz…. and Zim._

Dib held his head in his hands. He had been going through the same conversation in his head since Gaz left him in the hallways.

 _Why ZIM, why did it have to be ZIM?_ Dib thought angrily. _It could have been anybody in the whole skool! Keef, Torque, even IGGINS! Why did it have to be ZIM!?_

Dib got up and punched his wall a third time, breaking a hole straight through.

* * *

Zim sat on the couch, playing with Gaz's hair. He never really studied human hair before. It was like tiny threads of antennae, only without the extreme sensitivity. Gaz played her GS3 while Zim ran his three fingered hand through her hair. It felt nice but it distracted her. She sighed and put it away, sitting closer to Zim, the scowl from earlier had still been plastered on her face.

"Are you alright?" Zim asked, lifting his hand away from her.

"No." she snapped. Zim moved both hands away from her, he didn't want to provoke her through contact, she was a very touchy human. She sat up off of Zim and folded her arms.

"Have I upset you again?" Zim asked cautiously.

"No, it's Dib." She snapped again. Zim relaxed. At least it wasn't him.

"I just… I mean… he's just so..." She stopped and groaned in frustration. Zim scooted toward his love-p- _girlfriend_ and patted his hand on her knee, he wasn't sure how to comfort her, but he wanted to try. Gaz's mood didn't change, Zim was sweet trying to comfort her, but it didn't change her view on Dib.

 _Why did he have to be that way? He's such a paranoid, overprotective, crazy, jerk!_ Gaz thought angrily. Over the years Dib had become more like Dad than Dad has. Telling her where she can and can't go, what she can wear, how late she goes out and when she has to come home. She was sick of it. She looked at Zim and smiled a dark smile. She was curious.

 _Dib thinks he can control me?_ Gaz leaned forward and kissed Zim square on the mouth, he was taken back, surprised at the sudden affection. Gaz moved over on top of Zim and straddled him on the couch.

"What are you-" Zim asked before Gaz kissed him again. Deeper, more sensual. Zim paused, unsure what to do, then relaxed, allowing her to work. She knew more about human affection than he did. She ran her hands along his body, which felt strange. But… a good strange.

He tried to do the same, moving his hands along her body, feeling all her female-alien-curves. She separated from him to remove her shirt. Zim blushed a deep emerald green.

She was wearing a small, black, shirt like thing to hold the masses of extra skin on her chest. Such skin was supposed to be very attractive toward human males, and was only presented when mates became…. Intimate.

"What's the matter?" Gaz asked, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Zim stayed silent, just… looking at her.

 _She was_ very _pleasant to look at._ Zim thought, still flushed green.

"Would we… I mean… what are we… doing?" He stammered.

"Well… it's kind of an… intimate… ritual." She stammered as well, blushing.

"Would that… I mean, I'm not… human. Would we work?" He asked. Gaz smiled.

"We'll see." Gaz kissed him again and Zim relaxed. His computer had gone over human mating habits very briefly. Female anatomy, which was similar to Irken females, pressure points, and other things Zim paid little attention to. He felt confident he would do well in this ritual.

* * *

Dib trudged to Zims. He decided he needed to apologize to Gaz, and since she had not come home from skool, this is where she probably would be. Dib walked up the stairs, knocked on his door, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

He knocked on the door again, tapping his foot.

 _What's taking him so long?_ Usually he jumped at the chance to send his gnomes after Dib. Dib moved over to the window and looked inside.

What he saw would haunt him forever.

Gaz and Zim were sprawled out on top of each other on the couch sleeping. But… they were…

Dib fell backward and ran from the house. A mix of different emotions flew around in his head.

Anger, worry, dumbstruck confusion, fear, more anger... rage… revenge. Dib ran all the way home and stood in front of his garage.

 _Zim will pay_. Dib thought as he pulled the garage door up. In the darkness Dib saw the large silhouette of his repaired Irken ship.

 _And I know just who to call._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The next day at skool Dib completely avoided Gaz at all costs, she didn't come home last night.

 _Probably spent the night at Zim's._ Dib gagged at the thought. He sat quietly in his seat, then Zim marched in and Dib couldn't help but glare. He sat in his seat without a care in the world, Dib's hands clenched into fists, fighting not to make another scene. Dib looked away, thinking.

He barely got any sleep last night, he couldn't stop thinking about what he saw.

Clothes scattered on the floor, green and pale white skin and purple hair, and his sister. _His baby sister._ Sleeping in the arms of that disgusting, green skinned, alien COCKROACH! Dib broke his pencil in half, he jumped, not paying attention to his own rage. He looked back over at Zim who leaned back in his seat with a _smile_ on his face. Dib was fuming, he almost snapped and ran to beat his sorry green butt, but Mr. Fitsky waddled in the room, beginning class.

 _Zim would be sorry. I made sure of that last night._

* * *

Last Night

Dib typed commands into his ship's controls furiously. He kept pressing wrong buttons and cursed under his breath. He had figured out what each Irken symbol on the keyboard meant a while ago, but he couldn't think straight. He could barely believe what he was doing. Finally, he found the coordinates to the interior of the Irken ship. Dib thought for a second. With a single push of a button he could contact her. He breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and pushed it.

He knew it had to be done. Not only for the sake of Gaz, but the sake of the world. Zim had caused too much trouble for Earth, but now he had gone too far. He opened his eyes. There was a symbol that matched the Irken symbol on his ship on the screen and a few strange letters he didn't understand, probably the Irken language.

He heard static and a short beep, then she came up on the screen.

Dib's heart fell to the floor.

At first she looked curious, then immediately her violet eyes shown with a deep hatred and her antennae curled threateningly. Her ship was dark, the only light came from the screen shining in her pale green face.

" _You_." Tak hissed, snapping Dib out of his trance.

"Um… yeah… me." Dib stuttered. He hadn't seen her in years, she looked different than he remembered, although he hadn't seen her true form very much before the… incident.

"You _dare_ contact me?" She snapped. "In my own ship?!" Her voice hadn't changed, he remembered the conversations he had with her in the skool yard. She had been the only person to really listen to him. She even made it seem like she cared.

"What do you want, Dib?!" She yelled. Dib snapped up again and blushed.

 _She remembers my name._

"I need your help." He said quickly. Tak crossed her arms and sat back in her seat, her scowl darkened.

"Why on IRK would I help _you_?" She spit.

"Because it involves getting revenge on Zim." Tak raised an eyebrow at him and her antennae pricked up, he smirked.

"I thought you two were companions." Her glare returned. So did his.

"Zim is _NOT_ my friend." He snapped at her, then he retreated. He couldn't let her go, if she hung up on him she wouldn't answer again, and he would lose his chance.

"It's… It's my sister, Gaz."

"Your scary sibling can't take care of herself?" She mocked.

"Usually she can but… Zim. I think he's using her somehow. She thinks he loves her."

Tak raised an eyebrow again.

"And today. I saw… he..." Dib avoided eye contact with her, "I saw them together." He glanced at her, she didn't get it. "Like… together… together."

Tak's expression changed from hatred to disgust in seconds.

"Ugh! What?" She squealed, repulsed. "With a _human_?" Dib blushed.

 _Were humans really that disgusting to her?_

"That's why I need your help." He said, she got over her disgust and glared at him suspiciously.

"Why do you need my help with," She groaned. " _That_?"

"I want you to kill him." Dib said. She paused. Thinking.

"I want him to pay for what he did to her. I want it to be painful." He could see a glint of interest in her eye, she smirked.

"I think we can work something out."

* * *

Gaz walked away with her food, this was where she usually sat with Dib. But not today. She turned the other way and sat with Zim at lunch. She got a few stares, but she didn't care. Even Zim was surprised when she came over. He didn't usually sit with anyone at food-time, he quickly made a spot for her beside him. She smiled, thinking about last night, which had gone better than she had thought it would, for obvious reasons. Zim blushed, probably thinking the same thing.

She sat beside him and started eating quietly. Zim watched her eat her food-mass known as 'mashed potatoes' disgusted. He quickly hid his food and ate something from a little purple bag with his alien insignia on it.

"What's that?" she asked as Zim popped little white circles in his mouth.

"Skoosh-beans." He said quietly. "I ordered them from Foodcourtia the other day. I haven't had them since I was a smeet."

 _Oh yea._ Gaz remembered. _He can't eat Earth food._

"Could I have one?" She asked holding out her hand. Zim gave her one and watched her examine it. It was just a little white circle, like a colorless Gobstopper. She popped it in her mouth.

Almost as soon as it hit her tongue it melted and got warm. It tasted like liquid sugar. She swallowed it and gave Zim a thumbs up, he began eating them again.

"It's kinda sweet." She said drinking her milk to get the taste out of her mouth. "Got anything else?"

Zim reached into his PAK and gave her three more packets of different colors, happy to share his foods with his love-girl.

"These are kinda like your frozen cream." He said pointing to another purple bag with a toothy smiley face on the front. "There's a stick inside, you just scoop the jelly out and suck on the stick."

"Like a fun dip?" Gaz asked, Zim gave her a blank stare. He moved on.

"This is kinda hot, I don't think you'll like it." He pointed at a striped orange bar. "But these are really good."

He grabbed a blue bag and opened it, it was full of little blue marbles. Gaz took one and squeezed it. It reminded her of the water beads that gift shops sold. She ate it. It was tasteless and had the consistency of Jell-O, only not as thick, but it felt good to suck on. Zim ate one too then opened his mouth, his worm-like tongue had turned blue. She laughed and looked in her GameSlave screen and opened her mouth. Her tongue was also blue.

She smiled and ate another, sitting closer to Zim. He blushed, thinking about the ritual. He believed to have done well. She made strange noises like he was hurting her, but she insisted on continuing. Her skin was soft, it felt good on his, especially afterwards when she fell asleep on him. He remembered petting her little-Gaz-head, running his claws through her soft purple hair.

" _Zim?" She moaned, dreamily._

" _Yes?"_

" _I love you." Zim stopped petting her and smiled._

" _I love you too Gaz-love."_

"Zim?" Real Gaz said snapping him out of his memories.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yes. Zim is fine. Only… thinking." He squirmed in his seat. Gaz leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Last night was…" She started. She smiled,reliving her own memories.

"Pleasant." Zim finished, eating another Skoosh-bean, leaning his own head on hers.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Dib walked home alone again, Gaz hadn't even looked at him today. She didn't even sit with him at lunch. Not that he really wanted to see her too much. He still couldn't get last night's scene out of his head. Not to mention he had seen her partially naked.

Dib shook his head, still disgusted. Before even entering his house he went to the garage to see Tak's progress in returning to Earth. He opened the garage door and saw a pair of sneakers under his ship. When the light entered the garage, the person under the ship rolled out to look at him. Dib almost dropped his books. It was Tak. In a more updated human form.

She had kept her navy blue hair short, like last time, and her clothes were mostly the same. The striped dress with a modified Irken symbol on the front she used to wear was cut short into a shirt with black shorts that came just below her thighs, and a long black coat. Her high-top sneakers came up to her knees, still showing some skin. She wore little black gloves with the back of the hand and her fingers cut out.

And her… female body has been updated as well, she was taller, skinnier, and… curvier.

She scowled at Dib and pulled herself under the ship again.

"I'm surprised you were able to contact me in the first place. I can't believe you got my ship working with this:"

She threw out some nuts and bolts as she spoke.

"Useless. Human. Machinery."

"Well, I used what I had." He said, defending himself. "And it worked."

"For the most part," She pulled herself back out from under her ship and walked past him to her tool box, full of weird looking alien tools and gears.

"How did you get here so quickly? I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow."

"When revenge is on the line," She said lifting herself up into the interior of the ship, her legs dangled on the outside as she worked. "I made it a priority to arrive as soon as possible." Dib turned around, not wanting to see her… improved human form. He blushed and closed the garage door.

"Could you _not_ wear that disguise please?"

"Why does it matter?" She asked, still working on her ship.

"It's… I don't know… you're just…" Dib stuttered, fighting not to stare at her. She jumped out and leaned on her ship, glaring at Dib.

"Don't tell me you find this _attractive,_ do you?" She mocked. Dib froze, darting his eyes away, and back at her.

" _No_. It's just that… Well… just… when we were kids… and…" Dib could feel himself start to blush and Tak rolled her eyes. She fiddled with her watch and her hologram shifted and faded away, showing her alien form. She was a little shorter than her human disguise, and a lot shorter than he was, she came up to his chest, her antenna raised her height to his chin. Her violet eyes glowed in the faint light of the garage and her antennae curled sharply. Her uniform returned to the normal striped dress and coat with the Irken symbol on the front. Even the small metal band coming out of the side of her head had been the same. She was easier to look at than her human body.

"There. Is that better?" She asked, annoyed.

"Yea… I mean… yea."

"Just keep in mind that I'm not human." She said turning to work on her ship again.

"Okay so, what's the plan? Now that you're here. What are we gonna do?" Dib asked, casually watching her work.

"Infiltrate his base, possible capture, torture, and taunting, then I will disable his PAK and let him rot for the last ten minutes of his miserable life."

"His PAK?" Dib remembered Zim's little backpack from a few years back. It almost completely took over Dib's mind, causing him to create a robot to destroy all life on Earth, which he disabled once the PAK disconnected from him. He remembered Zim crawling through the doors of his father's lab slowly deteriorating. He looked a sickly pale green and his eyes behind his contacts looked glossy. He could barely form words. If the PAK had been away from him any longer, the weak little alien would have died.

"Only _after_ I'm finished with him." Tak growled, fixing a wire. While she was turned around Dib eyed her own PAK. It was a light grey with purple spots. It was strange to think that everything she is, that all Irkens must have been, was in that little machine. Even she would die if she was disconnected. Dib shivered at the thought and looked away from her, she was mumbling to herself about Zim as she worked on her ship. Then, something hit him.

"Hey, where's MIMI?" He asked, wondering where her modified robot was. Tak stopped dead in her tracks.

"Tak?" Dib asked walking up to her, he reached a hand out to her shoulder.

"She's gone." Tak said with no emotion in her voice. Dib stilled his hand before he could touch her. "Somehow she malfunctioned during my last _visit, a_ nd I had to disable her."

"Oh. Okay, then." He said stepping back to return to his spot. Suddenly Tak screamed bloody murder and started throwing tools and metal parts.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR AN _IRKEN!_ " She bellowed. Dib ducked as parts and tools went flying by his head.

"Woh, Tak!" He stammered, raising his arms to calm her down.

"I mean… He's not even AN INVADER!" A piece of metal flew into the garage door, not even close to Dib and hit the door with a loud bang. "HE'S A WORTHLESS, PATHETIC, _DEFECT_! A SMUDGE ON THE IRKEN NAME!"

"Easy, Tak." Dib said coming closer, his arms still up ready to protect his face from flailing arms or debris.

"He's an IDIOT!" She threw another sheet of metal, hitting the desk beside her. "And somehow he managed to defeat ME!"

"Tak calm down!"

" _I_ , am the superior soldier! _I,_ am the worthy invader! And somehow, HE managed to ruin EVERYTHING!" She screamed, throwing more random objects at the walls, garage door, even at Dib.

"And by the Past, Present and Future Tallest. I. Will. END HIM!" She turned around and kicked the ship over and over again, tears welled up in her sharp violet eyes. Dib came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her arms and pulled her away from the runner so she couldn't cause any more damage.

"HE RUINED MY LIFE!" She screamed, flailing her legs. "HE RUINED MY LIFE!"

"It's okay!" Dib said trying to calm down the shrieking Irken, before anyone could hear her. "It's okay."

"He ruined my life!" She yelled, choking on a sob.

"Easy." Dib calmed her down and kneeled on the garage floor, still holding her.

"He…" She couldn't finish. Tak. The mighty, hardened, stoic soldier, Tak, burst into tears. Her whole body shook into rough sobs. Dib loosened his hold on her and let her fall on her knees. He didn't know what to do. She just… _exploded._

"It's okay." Dib said again.

 _Look at me. I'm sniveling like a smeet._ Tak thought, beginning to fight back the tears. All the weight of her life had come crashing down on her when the Dib-human brought up her fallen companion. She had to disassemble MIMI when she went crazy and began destroying her ship, ruining her plans, and losing to Zim. Somehow she knew it was all his fault.

Tak calmed down, breathed deeply, and held still. Dib wanted to console her somehow, so he put a hand on her back, hoping to comfort her.

" _Don't_ touch me." She snapped up, walking away from Dib. She turned on him, glaring. She could feel the cold sticky tears drying on her face but she held her pride. Dib just looked at her, unsure what to do.

"Get out." She said, turning away from him, returning to fix her now dented ship. Dib sat there quietly for a minute before slowly getting up. She payed no attention to him and silently worked. Dib turned around and walked out of the garage without a word.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Zim sat at home with Gaz in his arms, watching The Scary Monkey show with GIR. Zim kept making horrible faces at the monkey.

 _That monkey…_

"I love this show…" GIR cooed, smiling with his tongue out.

"I cannot stand this monkey any longer." Zim said, fed up. Gaz smirked, not really paying attention playing her GS3. Zim moved her away and got off the couch, turning off the t.v.

"Aw." GIR saddened. "I wanted to look at the monkey some more."

"No, GIR. It is a _horrible_ monkey." Zim turned to walk away but GIR began shrieking madness into the air. Zim stopped and covered his antennae, turning to glare at GIR who started rolling on the floor. Gaz scowled at her game, GIR had gotten her attention for half a second, and made her die. She glared at Zim.

"Shut him up!" She yelled over his screams.

"GIR! SILENCE!" Zim walked over to him, still holding his antennae in pain. "We can do something else!" Zim yelled. GIR stopped immediately and walked to the door.

"Let's go for a walk." He chirped, getting his dog suit on. Zim sighed and shook his head. Then he turned to Gaz.

"Gaz-love! Accompany me on this 'walk'." He held out his hand expectantly. Gaz looked back down at her game.

"Nah." She started a new game. Zim glared.

"You defy your ZIM?" He raised his hands up in the air. Gaz ignored him.

"I DEMAND you accompany me!" Zim yelled again. Gaz ignored him.

 _Stubborn human._ Zim thought bitterly. He walked over in front of her, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

"Zim will buy you pizza-filth if you come with him." He smirked at Gaz who paused her game to look up at him. She glared for a moment, then closed her game and hopped off the couch, headed to the door. Zim smiled, put on his disguise, and followed Gaz and GIR out the door.

"Victory for Zim!" He shouted, throwing his fists in the air triumphantly with an evil grin on his face.

"Shut up." Gaz mumbled, taking his hand and walking away.

* * *

"They're out of the house." Dib whispered into his walkie-talkie watching as Gaz, GIR, and Zim walked out and left.

"Received. Enter now." Tak replied. Dib activated his invisible suit and shot out from behind the bushes and ran for the door, careful for Zim not to hear him. He raced through the door and connected his remote control to the base's wires. He began typing in codes and commands.

Gnome guards: Deactivated

Computer systems: Deactivated

Security defenses: Deactivated

Security alarms: Deactivated

Control brain:Transferred.

Dib's remote beeped, receiving the computer's control brain. Now he could control Zim's base.

Dib breathed deeply. That was easier than I thought. He deactivated his invisible suit, and contacted Tak again.

"All clear." He said. Tak entered in the door, in her human-form. She looked around at Zim's base and shook her head, then looked at Dib.

"Do you have it?" She asked. Dib held up the remote disconnecting it with the base's wires. "Give it to me." She demanded. Dib paused for a moment.

"Remember. Gaz doesn't get hurt."

"I don't plan on harming your littermate, Dib. Just give me the remote." Dib looked at the remote for a second, then gave it to Tak. She put it in her pocket and smiled at Dib who blushed and looked away. His eyes caught the couch. Dib's fists clenched in anger. He was ready for what he had to do.

It was a simple plan: Get Zim and Gaz, tie up Zim, get some pictures, then Tak was going to deactivate his PAK. It was easy.

 _So why do I feel like this?_ Dib thought. _Can I really kill Zim?_ He had thought about it before, but he could never find it in his heart to really _kill_ the little green creature.

 _It's for the good of mankind. And Gaz._ He thought. He could only hope that Gaz would forgive him someday. Someday she'll see that he's doing her a favor.

* * *

"How on Irk can you _stomach_ this filth?" Zim sighed watching children run around Bloaty's with pizza slices in their hands. Squealing like pigs. Gaz smirked as Zim watched the children jump on a large fat pig in the corner of the room, the pig looked miserably unwell. GIR had also begun bouncing on the obese pig, squealing with the children. Zim smiled and looked back at Gaz who ate her own pizza happily.

"It's amazing." Gaz said simply, finishing another piece.

"I see no part of this filth to be 'amazing'." he scowled at the cheesy pizza-food as it steamed on the plate.

"HOW YA DOIN LITTLE BOY?" A waiter in a pig uniform appeared, smiling at Zim, who jumped back in surprise. "ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT ANY PIZZA?"

"Be gone pizza-pig." Zim said, annoyed, waving his hand at him. "I desire none of the grotesqueries."

"Aw, you're gonna make BLOATY SAD!" The waiter pointed at the unhealthy pig-beast melting into the corner. Zim raised an eyebrow. The pig groaned and burped and the waiter smiled back at Zim, taking the belch as sadness.

"SEEEEEE?" He begged.

"BEGONE WITH YOU!" Zim yelled, glaring at the pizza-pig. Gaz ate quietly, smiling internally, the scene was amusing.

The waiter gave a humph and walked off to shriek at another small child.

"Are you done yet?" Zim asked, Gaz ate another piece.

"Almost."

Zim sat back in his seat glaring at other Earth-children who froliced in the store.

 _I will destroy you all._ Zim thought bitterly. Then he heard something that released horrible memories.

"DOODEE DOODEE DOOOOO." A mechanical pig squealed in another corner of the large room.

"DOODEE DOODEE DOOOOOOOOO." It shrieked again. Zim's blood ran cold.

 _The Earth monsters._ Zim had almost forgotten that the horrible creatures guarded the pizza in this store. The pig danced by another table, bouncing his half-decapitated head as he sang the shrill song. Then, it turned to Zim and Gaz's table. Zim's eyes widened, his claws stuck in the table, he began to sweat. Gaz looked over to the pig who started bouncing over to them then at Zim who backed himself into his seat.

"You wanna go?" She asked. Zim nodded.

"GIR!" He yelled, the little robot ran over the table, saluting Zim. Zim reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of Earth monies and dropped it on the table, grabbed Gaz's hand, and ran out the door before the horrible pig could get any closer. GIR followed happily.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Zim and Gaz walked through the door to his base, but something was wrong. Zim stopped, taking off his disguise slowly, his ruby eyes darted around the living room and his antennae twitched. searching.

"Zim what-"

"Shh." He quickly shushed Gaz and held a hand out for her to stop, and stepped into the room with caution.

There was something wrong. His antennae picked up a scent and he froze. It was something familiar, something he hadn't picked up in years.

"Gaz. Run." Zim whispered, still frozen.

"What?" She asked confused.

"Run!" He yelled, but before he could do anything, he saw a flash of green and then was blinded by a sack over his head. He immediately fought back but was thrown down to the floor and pinned by his attacker.

"Hey!" Gaz yelled as she was also tackled and blinded. "Let me go!" She yelled.

"COMPUTER! ILIMINATE THE INTRUDERS!" Zim yelled, fighting against his foe.

"System error. No intruders detected."

"No intruders!? Who are you?! Let us go!" Zim demanded. He felt the hands on his back move but he was still pinned by the attackers body. He felt them on his PAK.

"NO! Don't touch that! What are yo-" Then everything went black.

* * *

System reboot commencing.

Scanning:

…

PAK health: Normal

Body shell health: Normal

Brain functionality: Normal

PAK weapons functions: Disabled

PAK leg extensions: Disabled

PAK health recharge: Damaged

Commencing reactivation

*ZAP*

Zim groaned and opened his eyes, everything was blurry, all he saw were colors and basic shapes. A green blob came into view. Slowly the image became more and more clear.

"Rise and shine, Zim." He heard a sharp female voice come from the green shape.

"Wha…?" Zim focused his eyes. The image became clear but he still didn't believe his eyes.

"T-Tak?" He stammered. "You're alive?"

"Yes. Sorry to disappoint you, defect. I am alive." She began pacing around him. He struggled but was tied tightly to a chair. He looked around, they were located inside Zim's base labs.

"COMPUTER! ILIMINATE THE INTRUDER!" He yelled.

"System error. No intruders detected."

"What is the meanING OF THIS?" He yelled, his voice growing. "She's right THERE!"

Tak laughed at him and Zim turned to glare at her.

"I've shut down your computer's defenses Zim, there's no escape. I'm in control now." She held up a little remote controller.

"How did you get in my base?" he demanded, Tak smirked.

"You really expected to keep anyone out with this inferior equipment? It was easy." She leaned to one side with her arms crossed, smiling menacingly. Clearly proud of herself. Zim smiled.

"I'm the inferior one? You haven't grown since last time you _failed_ to defeat me. You look like a fresh smeet." He scoffed. Tak's smile disappeared, calmly she walked up to Zim and punched him in his squeedily-spooch, he groaned in pain as she walked away.

"I had a little help from an inside source as well." Tak's smile returned, Zim opened one eye, only for it to be blinded by a camera flash.

"There's one for Mysterious Mysteries." Another flash. "One for the local newspaper..."

Flash. Flash. Flash.

"A few to show everyone at skool…" Zim opened his eyes again, to see Dib putting his camera down and walking over to him.

"Dib-stink? What are you-OOF!" Dib punched Zim square in the face, knocking his head back and smacking into the chair. Then another hit in his squeedily-spooch, and a hard smack across the face. Zim coughed and slumped over in pain. Dib grabbed his antenna and yanked his head to up to take another picture, Zim winced and blinked his eyes, blinded again.

"And one for me." Dib let him go and he slumped over again.

"What are you doing?" He groaned.

"Don't Zim." Dib snapped. "Don't even _think_ about trying to talk your way out of this one. I know what happened with Gaz. I know what you _did_ to her."

Zim's eyes widened. "Dib-human. I can explain-"

"No need. I don't know what your plan with Gaz is. Personally, I don't care anymore. All I know is that you're not leaving here alive."

"It's not what you think. I… Your sister... I l-" Dib kicked Zim's. Zim winced again.

"I don't wanna hear it Zim! I saw you! I FUCKING saw you with her! I don't wanna hear ANYTHING you have to say!" Dib kicked him again, harder. "You've gone too far now Zim. Now you're gonna pay. I warned you to stay away from Gaz!" He punched him in the squeedily-spooch again and Zim yelped in pain as the chair fell over.

"That's enough, Dib." Tak said, leaning on the controls to his computer. Dib backed off and glared hard at Zim. She walked past Dib with a smile on her face. "He's mine."

"I wasn't surprised when I heard about your little mate, Zim. You _would_ be the one to betray your own race." Tak smirked, looking down at the hurting Irken defect.

"That's pathetic, even for you, Zim."

"Leave her…. Out of this." Zim groaned, his breaths became heavy.

"No. I don't think I will." Tak pressed a remote button, a chair was lowered down by the base's cables in the ceiling. It held a bound, struggling Gaz with a blindfold and gag.

"Gaz!" Zim snapped up, struggling harder from his chair's ropes, ignoring his pain.

"Hmm…" Tak sneered, holding a claw up to her chin, looking from Zim to Gaz. "Perhaps this human really _does_ mean a lot to you." Tak walked over to Gaz, looking at her up and down.

"In that case…" Tak shot a claw out and scratched Gaz's cheek, who immediately began yelling and cursing at Tak, but everything was muffled through her gag. Dib's eyes widened.

 _What is she doing?_

"TAK!" Zim bellowed, frantically flailing around in his chair which made it bounce around. "If you lay another FINGER on her head. By the Tallest, old and new. I will _RIP_ EVERY MOLECULE OF YOUR PAK TO _PIECES_!" Zim knocked around in his chair, trying desperately to get free. Tak's PAK opened up and she aimed one of her PAK legs at Gaz's throat, while aiming the other two at her forehead, in a claw like hold. Gaz fell silent, feeling the cold points on her skin.

"Hey!" Dib shot up. "This wasn't in the plan!"

"This was part of my plan." Tak said smiling at Dib. "You see Dib, I need to make Zim suffer." She aimed the points of her legs closer to Gaz, poking harder against her skin, Zim struggled more.

"It appears that he cares deeply for this… purple-human. What better way to make him suffer than to watch her die?"

"But… Tak… I thought."

"You thought what, Dib? That when I came back you could get close, 'sweet-talk' me, and I would fall in love with you too?" Tak drew her PAK legs back and stomped over to Dib, who blushed. Her glare darkened as she looked up at him."You think I don't realize your disgusting infatuation with me? I used you from day ONE to get close to HIM! You think I care about you? You're a human, I'm an Irken. How on IRK could I care about _you_." She hissed. Dib was frozen. He felt something inside him break and shatter, his blush went away. Tak smirked and turned away from Dib and pressed another button on her remote. The cables from the ceiling came down and grabbed Dib, holding him powerless, he started to struggle.

"Tak how COULD you?" Dib yelled, flailing his arms and legs in vain. "We had a deal! I trusted you!"

"Now where were we?" Tak sang, walking behind Zim. She pulled his chair off the ground and set it up, then drew her attention to his PAK.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! What are you-" Quickly, and without warning, Tak popped Zim's PAK off. His saw an image of a timer counting down from ten minutes appear in the corner of his vision. His lifeclock. "NO! MY PAK! GIVE IT BACK!" Zim yelled. **9:52**

Tak walked around him and pressed another button on her remote, a hard, metal shell came down from the ceiling, she opened it up and tossed his PAK in, closed it, and locked it so it wouldn't be able to escape.

"GIVE ME BACK MY PAK!" **9:38**

"No." She said smiling at him.

"Tak. I'm warning you. Release me and Gaz this INSTANT and I will not DESTROY you!" Zim fought to break his binds in his chair again. **9:28**

"You don't get it do you? You've lost. It's sad that you're even still trying. Why Zim? To protect your ugly mate?" Tak leaned closer to Gaz again who remained motionless, she opened up her own PAK and used a leg to turn Gaz's head to look at Tak. She dug her leg into her cheek and pierced the skin and he saw a drop of blood run down her neck.

"STOP! I'm the one you want! You already have me! Do what you want to me! Just let her go!" **9:05**

"I've already said, Zim. I want you to suffer. I want you to suffer like I did all those years ago on DIRT! You ruined my LIFE Zim! I'm just repaying the favor." Her leg dug into Gaz's cheek further, Gaz clenched her fists and winced in pain. Zim winced and fought again. He had to get out now while he still had his strength. **8:49**

"TAK NO!" Dib yelled from the ceiling.

"Say goodbye to your mate, defect." Tak smiled raised her leg. Then, out of the blue, Gaz kicked Tak hard in the chin, knocking her into the floor. Quickly Gaz dropped her restrains and took off her blindfold and gag.

"Don't you EVER touch me again." Gaz spit, standing above a confused Tak, rubbing her chin.

"GAZ! Get me out of here!" Dib yelled from above, still wiggling defenselessly on the ceiling.

Tak swiped her leg under Gaz, making her fall over, and pinned her wrists to the floor with her spiderlegs.

"How did you get out?" Tak demanded Gaz used her legs to throw Tak off of her again.

"You weren't paying attention when you were yelling at Dib. I got free while you weren't looking."

"Gaz. Get out of here! Run!" Zim yelled desperately. **8:05**

"Foolish worm-demon. Do you really think you have a chance against me? I trained for YEARS as an elite soldier. Give up now and I won't make your demise as painful as I want it to be." Tak rose off the ground and got into a threatening pose, preparing her PAK legs. Gaz scowled at the little alien.

"If you don't let them go. Now. I will plunge you into a nightmare world from which there is no waking." Tak gave a battle cry and began slashing at Gaz with her sharp legs. Gaz quickly dodged her, but Tak spun around, swiping at her again, and again Gaz dodged her. Zim struggled in his seat, but his breaths were becoming heavy and his arms grew weak from using up his energy. He needed to get out. Now. Or all would be lost. **7:09**

"Gaz! Throw me the remote!" Dib yelled, finally getting one arm out of his restrains.

Tak lunged for Gaz again, aiming one of her legs directly into her belly, Gaz jumped, stepped off the sharp leg, and kicked Tak in the face again.

"You're lasting longer than I thought you would little human. I'm impressed." Tak smirked, rubbing her cheek, and slashed again, striking Gaz's arm. Immediately she held it against her side in pain. Zim's eyes got wide and his antenna pricked up as he saw her red-ooze began dripping down off her fingers. **6:39**

"Tak! Leave her alone!" Zim yelled, he was out of breath and his arms felt heavy. He was beginning to feel the effects of being PAKless for so long. He could hear the clanking and banging of his PAK trying to break itself free from inside the metal box. **6:31**

Dib, meanwhile, had released both his arms from the restrains on the ceiling and was now pulling his torso free. He looked down at Zim, his skin looked paler green, and his eyes were more strained, he took deep breaths as he still desperately tried to get himself out.

 _Did Zim really want to save Gaz?_ Dib thought looking down at his sister fighting off Tak. He looked down at Gaz's empty chair and saw the remote Tak used to contain Zim's PAK which was ruthlessly banging around in the metal box.

 _If I can get to the remote, then I can use Zim's PAK to help Gaz._ Dib thought, then he looked back at Zim who began hacking and coughing his… alien-lungs out. He looked like death. **5:52**

 _Or maybe…_ Dib thought. Tak screeched as Gaz snapped off of her PAK legs off and used it to swipe at Tak's cheek, which started leaking green liquid.

"You'll pay for that you little SLORCH!" Tak yelled, viciously swiping at Gaz again and again, backing her into the wall, then she felt something hit her in the head. She whipped around to see Dib had thrown his shoe at her, she scowled at him before Gaz jumped on her back and covered her eyes. She squealed and began grabbing at Gaz who used her legs to contain her spider-legs, keeping them from impaling her.

"GET OFF ME!" Tak screeched, grabbing onto a handful of her hair and pulling her over Tak's shoulder, and onto the ground. Gaz fell with a thump and rolled over to the right as Tak stabbed at her, driving her leg into the ground. She stabbed again and again, and Gaz kept rolling out of the way. Tak used her legs to block Gaz's escape and went to stab again before getting kicked in the face by Dib, throwing her into the wall. Dib had swung down off the ceiling to save his sister, and ran for the remote by the chair.

Gaz looked up to see Zim hanging his head off the side of the chair which fell over with a bang. He looked awful. His antenna hung limp against his head and his ruby eyes were glossy and crossed. His green skin was much paler and his worm-like tongue hung out of his mouth, drooling on the floor. He groaned in pain when he slammed down into the ground. Gaz ran over to him while Tak attacked Dib. **4:58**

"Gaz… Go now… save… Gaz." Zim stammered, unable to speak properly.

"No way! We're getting out of here." Gaz said. His body was going completely limp as she untied him from the chair. She heard a bang and a yell, Gaz turned around to see Dib had Tak on the ground, her PAK legs lay broken and limp on the floor and she had the leg Gaz broke off in her hand, trying to stab Dib with it. He had her claw in his hand and fought to pin the other claw with the sharp leg in it on the ground, the remote was a few feet away from them.

"Gaz! Get the remote!" Dib yelled.

"LET GO OF ME!" She yelled under him trying to pierce him with her broken leg. Gaz left the drooling Zim to fetch the remote and began pressing random buttons, hoping to release Zim's PAK. **4:31**

Gaz's chair flew back and forth, lights flashed and sirens blared loudly, Dib's old restraints flung around around from the ceiling grabbing hold of one of Zim's legs and pulling him up to the ceiling.

He hung there and opened one of his eyes. His whole body felt completely limp and broken, he could barely think coherent thoughts anymore. He looked down and saw Dib and Tak wrestling on the floor as she screamed Irken curses at him ruthlessly. He saw Gaz looking up at him with a little remote control as she desperately tried to get his PAK from the metal box which had been slightly dented from the inside out. He let his heavy eyelids fall as he swung gently back and forth. **3:41**

Tak knocked Dib off of her and launched into Gaz who fell forward, losing the remote. Tak fell over Gaz and tried to cut her with her leg again, Gaz held it away as she came closer and closer to her neck.

"ZIM!" She yelled up at him. Wearily, his eyes opened, looking down at her again.

 _The little purple creature looked afraid._ Something felt familiar about the purple one. Something he liked. Then he remembered.

"That's…. _My…_ purple-human…" He slurred, wiggling a little bit in a feeble attempt to save her. "Let her... g-g-gooooooo." Zim's mouth felt numb and his body hung limp again. He closed his eyes again, drooling. **3:12**

"Dib! Help Zim!" Gaz yelled at her brother who shot up and ran for the remote.

 _I have to get the PAK._ Dib thought, as he dove for the remote. He started pressing more buttons, and eventually the metal shell opened. Dib ran and grabbed the little backpack which attacked him, trying to fuse itself to Dib. **2:54**

Dib rolled around on the floor with Zim's PAK as the spider legs grabbed at him and fought to pull him closer, little metal piping shot out to connect with Dib's chest. Gaz and Tak were still in a dead-lock, as she tried to cut into Gaz's neck with the sharp metal leg.

"You're going to die little Earthen scum." She hissed. "Any last words?"

Gaz breathed heavily, actually afraid for her life. Everything moved in slow motion. As she looked around the room. She looked up at Zim who had almost lost all of his coloring, looking as if he had passed out, and looked at Dib who was fighting with Zim's PAK, then at Tak who smiled as the leg got closer to her throat. Suddenly Gaz saw something behind Tak.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

" **GIR! TAK HAS TACOS FOR YOU!"** Gaz screamed at the top of her lungs. For a moment Tak looked confused, then was quickly attacked by a little cyan robot.

"GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE! GIMMIE!" GIR wailed, clinging onto Tak's head and yanking on her antennae violently. Tak screamed and tried to shake off the shrieking robot who pulled her head back and sat on her shoulders, riding her like a pig. Gaz shot up from the ground and ran to Dib who was losing the fight with Zim's PAK. **1:03**

"GAZ QUICK! IT'S GONNA TAKE OVER MY MIND!" Dib yelled, fighting as the PAK connected with his skin. Gaz ripped the PAK away from Dib who yelled in pain as the PAK was ripped off his belly. Gaz ran to the remote and held the PAK away as it fought to connect with her. She grabbed the remote and pressed another button, releasing Zim from the ceiling. He crashed down with a smack, but didn't react to the pain. **0:32**

"Zim! Here! I have your PAK!" Gaz held the PAK out for Zim, whose dull eyes fluttered open, he groaned and raised a limp claw out to take it. **0:21**

"NO! HE'S MINE!" Tak shrieked, flinging GIR off her shoulders and into the wall. She dove at the pair and barreled into Gaz, knocking her over. The PAK fell next to Zim whose weak arm fell down, giving up, his eyes closed and he passed out. **0:10**

The PAK raised itself off the ground with the spider legs. **0:09**

It looked over at the black haired human who laid on the floor with a torn shirt, still in pain. Match compatibility negative.

 **0:08**

It looked at the Irken who already had a PAK fighting with another human. Match compatibility negative. Match compatibility negative.

 **0:07**

It looked at the dying Irken without a PAK.

 **0:06**

Match compatibility positive.

 **0:05**

The PAK flipped over the dying Irken.

 **0:04**

It aligned itself with the spinal cord.

 **0:03**

The metal piping fused with the spinal cord of the Irken host.

 **0:02**

Gradually, the PAK began repairing the Irken host's dying body shell.

 **0:01**

Zim regained his consciousness, he saw the lifeclock in the corner of his eye freeze at the last second, then disappear. His strength returned, the color in his skin returned, his brain waves and thought processes returned. He opened his eyes, and lifted himself off the floor, dazed and confused.

"ZIM!" Someone yelled. He snapped his head over to see Tak pinning Gaz to the wall, about to stab her in the back with a broken PAK leg.

"GAZ!" Zim shot up off the ground and ran after Gaz. He smashed into Tak, knocking her away from Gaz, and flipped her over on the wall, taking the hand with the PAK leg in it and pointing it at her own neck.

"NO! I DESTROYED YOU!" Tak bellowed, fighting against his new-found strength.

"You failed. Again." Zim hissed, plunging the PAK leg into her throat. Tak's violet eyes widened in horror as he moved off of her. Her hands fell on the sharp metal leg coming out of her neck, and tried to remove it, green blood flowed out of her neck in bursts. She fell over, holding her neck trying to keep the blood from leaving her body as she gasped for air. Her eyes lost color and her hands fell limp, as her PAK began to beep.

The last thing Tak saw was the defective Irken standing over her body, looking down at her without remorse. His words echoed in her mind:

 _You failed. Again._

 _Failed..._

 _Failed..._

 _Again._

Then everything went black.

Zim kicked her lifeless body over and removed her PAK, so it would not try to repair her body shell. He walked over the the metal shell that held his own PAK captive, threw it in, and locked it away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Gaz leaned on the wall, breathing deeply, holding her neck. It was the first time Gaz really actually saw death. Even if it wasn't even her own species, it kinda freaked her out. Zim turned to look at Gaz and walked over beside her. She looked up at him wide-eyed as he held out a hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked, pulling her up.

"Yea… I'm fine." Gaz held her arm close to her body. Zim looked at her bleeding cheek, which had already started scabbing over. Then slowly raised her arm, examining it. Gaz winced as he pulled her sleeve up. Tak had cut into it deeply, it still bled causing blood to drip down her arm and onto the floor. Zim turned around, taking the remote from where he fell from the ceiling, and walked over to his enormous computer monitor. He connected the remote to his controls and started typing commands.

" _Access granted."_ Zim's computer whirled to life and the cables from the ceiling retreated.

"Computer, bring me a medical kit." Zim demanded, a bright light shone on a table, shining back and forth until a first aid kit materialized. Zim took the handle, and walked over to Gaz. He sat down, opened the kit and started working on the gash in her arm. He put a slab of blue jelly on his hand and smeared it on her wound, which started bubbling and turning green. Gaz clenched her fists and ground her teeth, fighting pain, but stayed still so Zim could fix her.

"I told you to run." Zim snapped at her as he put a dab of the jelly on the cut on her cheek, which felt more tingly than painful, he used a rag to wipe off the now dark green jelly off her arm when it stopped foaming. He prepared a little black box that looked like a clunky staple gun with an open end and held it over the top of her wound.

"And leave you to die?" She glared at Zim.

"I told you to RUN." Zim yelled at her, glaring back. " _You_ could have died. I would have been fine. I had everything under control."

"I saved you-AHH!" Gaz countered before Zim started the machine, it pulled a hook around one side of her gash to the other with thread, sewing her skin back together. Gaz slammed her fist into the wall and shouted.

"Hold still." Zim said calmly. "I don't need you getting hurt any more."

Zim worked silently sliding the little black device down her arm, closing the gash, and stopping it from bleeding any more. Then he wrapped white gauze around her arm, wiped the jelly off her cheek and taped a little bandage to it.

Dib couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at the ground where Tak lay motionless.

 _I can't believe she's really gone._ Dib thought. He couldn't decide whether he mourned her or not. She broke his heart and tried to kill him and Gaz, but he still felt a little remorse. He looked back at Zim who put a little band aid on Gaz's cheek.

 _Did Zim really care?_

"Dib-beast." Zim called, getting up and turning to glare at Dib who still sat on the floor. "Explain yourself. Now."

"I… I called Tak." Dib said, sinking into his shoulders.

"What the FUCK DIB?!" Gaz shot up, walking toward her brother. Zim put out an arm, stopping Gaz.

"I am aware you do not approve of me, Dib-monkey. But contacting Tak, and endangering your sister's life is _unacceptable_." Zim spit.

"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS GONNA TRY AND KILL GAZ!" Dib shot up.

"You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't doom you, Dib." Gaz yelled, pushing Zim's arm out of the way and facing her brother.

"I… I'm sorry." Dib retreated. "I was going to try and… get rid of Zim." He confessed.

Gaz scowled. "Four seconds."

"I-I saw you two… together… And I just… I got so _mad_."

"So you tried to _kill_ him?" Gaz shouted pushing him back.

"I… I didn't think he actually cared about you Gaz! I thought he was using you… And when I saw that I… I don't know I snapped!"

"What is WRONG with you?" Gaz pushed him again. "What do you mean 'he doesn't care about me?' What like I'm just some _freak_ nobody _could_ care about? You think the only reason he's with me is because he's USING ME?"

"NO! That's not what I meant, Gaz!" Dib dodged another push, getting around her, and moving in between Zim and Gaz. "If it was anyone else, I would have been fine with it. But ZIM? You can't expect me NOT to get suspicious! It's ZIM!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean dirt-child?" Zim walked toward him, beside Gaz. They both started backing Dib into the wall.

"YOU'RE AN ALIEN INVADER!" Dib yelled, pushing Zim back angrily. "YOU'VE LIED, CHEATED, AND MANIPULATED BEFORE! How do you expect me to be OKAY with you _dating_ my SISTER! OF COURSE I thought something was up! Since WHEN have YOU _ever_ felt ANYTHING!" Dib pushed him again. Gaz growled and went to hit Dib, but Zim stopped her.

"I see." Zim said. Dib looked down at Gaz's wrapped up arm and sighed.

"But… now?… I don't know." Dib looked at Zim who still held Gaz back from dooming him.

 _Maybe I was wrong. Zim_ saved _her. He tried to get Gaz to save herself and leave him behind, he protected her from Tak, he healed her arm, he seemed like… But...maybe..._

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me, _honestly_ , that you really like Gaz?"

Gaz stopped and looked at Zim, who became very serious, very quickly.

"Dib-human. As you know, I loathe humans. Especially you, _especially_ now. But your sister is different than the rest of her race." Zim walked up close to Dib looking at him dead in the eye. Face to face.

"No, Dib-stink. I cannot say that I 'like' your sister. I can, however, say that I love her."

Dib's eyes widened.

 _He's serious._

"Your approval on the subject means _nothing_ to me. But know this: If you _ever_ endanger her life like this _again_. I. Will. End you." Zim stepped to the side and pointed a finger away. "Now get out." Dib paused for a couple seconds to really look at his alien foe, then his sister. He sighed and walked away from them both. Only looking back at Gaz, who watched him walk away into the elevator. He waved at her before going up to the house.

 _Zim and Gaz_ … Dib thought as he disappeared up the shoot.

"Computer. Set up a living quarters for Gaz." Gaz turned around and looked at Zim.

'What?" She asked, confused.

"I'm kidnapping you." Zim said, walking to his computer. "Or 'abducting' you, as your brother would say it."

"Why?" Gaz crossed her arms and leaned over.

"Your Dib-sibling is no longer worthy of your presence." Zim said, getting out a large box with a big purple button.

"So you want me to live with you?" Gaz asked, lifting an eyebrow. Zim froze, looking at her, then at the computer again.

"Well... yes. As it so happens, you _would_ be living with me." He walked over to Gaz with the box and set it down beside her.

"Here. Just press this button and everything inside will shrink." He pushed the button and suddenly the large box became pocket sized.

"I should have done this much sooner. I just didn't think he would turn to just drastic measures."

"Woh. Woh. Woh. Wait, so… what? Just up and ditch my house? All my stuff? My dad?"

"No, you would bring your belongings here, in the box, and you've already said your father-unit pays no attention to you."

Gaz thought about it. Just… leave? For Zim?

 _Yeah…_ Gaz thought. _Yeah… Why would Dad care? I'm older now, I can move out. And I've already spent a few nights here._ Then she looked around, and back at Zim.

But can she really stand the alien enough to live with him? She would have to deal with GIR a lot more… But then again, she would have to deal with Dib a lot less… She looked down at the box.

 _What the hell?_ Gaz thought, then she bent down to put the little box in her pocket. Zim smiled and turned away from her, marching to the computer.

"Your quarters will be done by the time you return with your possessions. I'll be sure to allow some customizations to fit your needs."

Gaz smirked and rubbed her arm, looking at the elevator, then back at Zim. She walked up behind him and kissed his cheek before walking toward the elevator. Zim's antenna shot up and he tensed. He might never get used to human affection. He looked back at Gaz who flew up the shoot to the home base.

* * *

Gaz walked through the door to her home and went up to her room. She set the box in the middle of her bedroom and pressed the button again. It grew as large as it used to be, and Gaz opened it up. There was lots of space, it should hold everything she needed. She looked around her room and sighed.

 _Well… Where to_ _start?_

* * *

Dib heard some shuffling in Gaz's room and stopped. He knocked on the door, no answer.

"Gaz? You in there?" He asked, opening her door. He stopped and widened his eyes. Gaz was holding a stack of clothes, putting them in a big metal box. Half her room was empty.

"What are you doing?" He asked looking around, in shock.

"What does it look like?" She ignored him and continued to pack.

"You're leaving?" He looked at her sadly. The guilt in his gut twisted in a tighter knot.

"Zim wants me to move in with him." Gaz said picking up her stuffed animal defenses and tossing them in the box..

"So… you're going with him?"

"Yeah." She tossed the last one in and went to remove her bed sheets.

The last of Dib's heart shattered, anger started taking its place. Zim was taking his sister away.

"You… you can't! I mean… What about mankind? He's still gonna try to take over Earth!" Dib walked up to her as she folded her sheets, tossing them in the box.

"Maybe I'll help him." Gaz said a matter-of-factly. Humans weren't really her thing anyway.

"You don't mean that." Dib said wide eyed.

"Why not? I've never fit in around here. It'll be fun."

"You _really_ don't mean that." Dib said, taken back. "So, what? You're just gonna renounce your humanity?"

"Yea… Probably." Gaz said packing the last of her belongings into the box, leaving her room empty.

"Gaz. Don't. Please." Dib took her wrist. "I'll try to get used to…. You and… Zim. But don't _leave_. Please." Gaz snapped her hand back, closed the box and pressed the button, making the box pint sized. She picked it up and put it in her pocket, completely weightless.

"Gaz…" Dib said. Watching her make her way to the door. He looked around her empty room.

 _No… This can't be happening. First Tak. Then Gaz?_ He followed her down the stairs to see Dad floating in a computer screen in the kitchen.

"Dad! Stop her!" Dib said pointing at Gaz.

"Why so glum daughter?" The professor asked, floating next to Gaz.

"I'm leaving." She said walking to the door.

"Alright, be sure to come home soon, It's almost curfew." He started floating away.

"I'm not coming home. I'm moving out." Gaz looked at her father, hoping for some kind of reaction. The floating screen turned to look at her. She couldn't see any emotion from under his lab coat and goggles.

"Alright. If that's what you want. Be sure to think of us!" Then the head turned and floated away.

"DAD!" Dib yelled. Gaz clenched her fists and swung open the door angrily.

 _Of course not. Why would he care?_

"Gaz. Stop." Dib demanded. She stopped, holding the door, ready to walk out.

"If you go out that door. You're taking his side. And you'll become the enemy." He walked up behind her. "Don't do this."

Gaz paused, still holding the door. Then without another word, she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

* * *

Gaz walked to Zim's house with tears in her eyes.

Her own _father_ just let her go like that. Without a word of remorse. Without a fight. Just… Bye! Did he even care that she was leaving forever?

And Dib. Calling her the enemy?

 _Fine. I don't care._

She felt a tear run down her cheek and she brushed it away. When she got to Zim's door she wiped her tears away, hoping it wasn't noticeable. She opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" Zim yelled, holding a pizza box out to Gaz with a huge grin on his face. Gaz froze, not expecting it.

"I had some of your pizza-foods delivered from the Bloaty's you like." He closed his eyes, wallowing in his own pride, still grinning.

"And… and look at this!" He took her hand and dragged her to the kitchen, setting the pizza on a counter. He opened the door of the fridge. It was full of all sorts of human food. Fruits and vegetables, soda and water bottles, milk, cheese, meats.

"I know you have to eat more than I do, so I stocked the fridge!" He grinned again. Gaz looked at all the food, her mouth agape. Zim dragged her away, still proud of his work.

"Computer. Open the entrance to Gaz-human's quarters!" He said standing in front of the couch. The couch disappeared under the floor, and the painting of a monkey slid up, revealing a little door, which slid open. Gaz stepped in, her eyes widened.

It was a big room with purple walls, and black carpeting with a round purple rug in the center. A closet door surrounded by drawers that opened out of the wall was on one side of the room, and a big bed sat on the other. There was a huge computer screen with an Irken symbol on a desk next to a sliding silver door. Gaz turned in place in the center of the room, then started at Zim, who couldn't contain his enjoyment.

 _He did all this… for me?_

"Look at this!" He hopped over to the drawers in the wall and opened one on the bottom. It just kept coming out until it hit the bed on the other side of the room.

"I modified them from the storage space in my labs." Then he went into the closet. It was a longer room with hanging bars for her clothes, an open storage spot for shoes, and two more drawers on the bottom.

"I read that human females need a lot of space for their attire. Oh! And look at this!" He pulled her out of the closet and over to the silver door, which opened up into a bathroom. It looked like a pretty normal bathroom, white tile floors, a shower, a toilet, a cupboard, and a sink. Zim ran over to the sink.

"You humans need so much _water_." He scoffed, turning on the apparently working sink. "It's all in full working order for all of your human-needs!" He turned the sink off, glaring at the dripping faucet.

"Oh! And then this:" He pulled her out of the bathroom and started typing into her computer. He pulled a tab labeled "customize." And began poking at different functions, turning the walls red, the bed green, the floor brown and the rug blue.

"You can change anything you want," He said changing everything back. "So if you want to change something, you can. Whenever you wan-" Then Gaz hugged him, his antenna snapped up in surprise.

"Thank you." She said, squeezing him tighter, fighting more tears. He put his arms around his Gaz and hugged her back.

"You're welcome." He said, holding her tightly.

Who needs Dib? Who cares that Dad didn't care about her? Zim did. That's all she wanted. That's all she needed.

"OOOOO! PIZZA!" Gaz heard the little robot scream. Zim pushed Gaz away and ran out the door.

"GIR NO! That's not for YOU!"

Gaz looked around her new room and smiled, setting down her storage box with all her stuff in it. She reached into her pocket and removed a grey and white speckled, oval, rock and a battered dandelion head and set them on her desk before leaving the room.

The End.


End file.
